


The Taste of Ink

by Trappola



Series: The Taste of Ink [1]
Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: It's really Floyd/Riddle don't take that other ship tag seriously, M/M, Mention of sex, Overblot (Twisted-Wonderland), Past Relationship(s), Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trappola/pseuds/Trappola
Summary: Riddle's still coming to terms with the fact that he is recovering from Overblot and it's not going too well. An old acquaintance and a current annoyance doesn't want to leave him alone, though. Turned into a semi-slow burn Floyd/Riddle fic with mention of a previous one night stand.---"You look pale." He said, tilting his head to the side as he moved to poke Riddle's cheeks once more. "I miss your pink cheeks."The redhead moved to swat the finger away, though the other had pulled it away just in time, making the grin even bigger. "Just because I'm recovering from Overblot doesn't mean I won't behead you.""Eeeh? But I heard you were so nice now~" Riddle scoffed, feeling annoyed that his change of heart about rules was being twisted into something else.
Relationships: Floyd Leech/Riddle Rosehearts, Trey Clover/Riddle Rosehearts
Series: The Taste of Ink [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930888
Comments: 56
Kudos: 377





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> God, I'm really not sure how I'd translate "Nee, nee~" aside from "Hey, hey~" but that sounds so bad. Let me know if you'd rather if you'd rather I leave it nee. Also I hope you like the title. Ink blot + squid ink (even though that makes no sense but but whatever it's a marine animal shh). Plus it's a song I like. 
> 
> Anyways, there probably won't be too many chapters of this. Just kind of over the time it takes for Riddle to get better from Overblot. I also definitely probably make it sound worse than it would be to recover because I like drama.

Riddle was ashamed of himself. He glanced down at the tissue in his hand, taking note of the splotchy ink that he had coughed up only moments ago. A reminder that he had failed not only Heartslabyul, but himself. He had been so obsessed with filling the role of the Queen of Hearts, of becoming what his mother had instilled in his head time and time again. There was no room for mistakes. You had to be perfect no matter what. And because of that blind faith, he had almost died and taken his friends with him. Even now, a couple days later, he still found it hard to face them. Especially Trey. He had been attentive at the infirmary, then at home when he had been cleared to rest in his own bed. He didn't deserve it, not really. 

The days drained on as the rest of the dorm was attending classes. While he truly didn't believe he deserved the attention they were giving him, a part of him still craved that affection he had been trying so desperately to get before he became afflicted with Overblot. He wouldn't have blamed them if they hated him and stopped visiting, but he certainly didn't _want_ them to. And now that he was alone and by himself, he felt _useless._

He stared out the window at the roses. There were traces of white poking through already and a part of him was thankful. Things would go back to normal. A _new_ normal where he could actually make the lasting relationships he had been craving. Riddle pressed his lips into a fine line, glancing from the trees towards his door, then to the trees once more. Truly, despite the cough, he was feeling fine. As long as he didn't try to use his magic, there was no need to wait on that new normal. The boy got out of his bed, taking a deep breath as he moved towards the large dresser in his room to put on his normal school uniform. He could almost hear Trey lecturing him about going out so soon after he had been sick, but he'd be _fine_. The worst he had was a little cough. 

It wasn't hard to leave the dorm--there was no one really there in the mid-day. While he was certain some of the students wouldn't have had classes at that time, most enjoyed spending the afternoon lazing around outside of the dorm. Guilt began to prickle under his skin. _That's because of you. They were afraid to come back._ As he was leaving the dorm's property, he noticed one of the croquet hoops tilted to it's side. His hand twitched slightly, taking note of Rule 238--the croquet court must always remain in pristine condition. Anger started to boil inside of his stomach, though he willed himself to take a few deep breaths. _One. Two. Three_. He was working on it, he _really_ was. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he moved to place the hoop back properly into the ground, even going so far as to try to cover some of the larger part of the hole that was created when it was nudged. 

Riddle pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, rubbing at the lingering dirt on his fingers as he moved towards the school. "You're doing good." He whispered to himself, almost wishing Trey, Cater, Ace, or Deuce were there to tell him the same. A part of him was afraid that without them, he would just fall back into the same old habits. When he had become afflicted with Overblot, he had still thought he was doing the right thing, after all. 

"Hey, hey~ Goldfishie~" A voice cooed in his ear, startling the redhead ever so slightly--not that anyone would have _noticed_ that, at least. He turned his head the minimal distance to glance towards Floyd, having already recognized his voice.

"Please don't stand that close to me, Floyd." He sighed, wondering why it had to be _him_ of all people that had noticed him on his walk. The other ignored his request, going so far as to wrap his arms around Riddle's shoulder and lean on him slightly. The smaller boy stiffened at the action, though he didn't move from the other's grasp. It was never a good idea to get on the Leech's bad side--or so he heard. In reality, he quite liked Jade and enjoyed having him in his class. It was _this_ twin that was a pain.

"Ah~ But I missed you~ Jade told me you haven't been in class."

Riddle took a deep breath, having already anticipated that word of his ailment had already gotten around the school. "If you've come to tease me about Overblot, I don't want to hear it." The words came out like poison and the familiar redness returned to his cheeks, anger settling in slightly.

"Aww~" One hand moved to poke at Riddle's cheek before standing up straight and waltzing in front of him. "The goldfish is here~" 

"If you'll excuse me." His words were short now that he was free from the other's grasp, though he wouldn't be so lucky as to get away from Floyd just yet. The twin kept stride with him, seeming like he didn't have a care in the world.

"And here I was worried about you." His voice remained relaxed, the lazy smile lingering on his lips. Riddle's heart leaped to his throat, trying to will images of the end of the previous year from his mind. It had been a mistake. Something he had agreed to to help numb the loneliness. Something they had both agreed wouldn't happen again. So _why?_ Why did Floyd keep doing this? Did he get enjoyment out of watching him squirm? Not that Riddle ever really _physically_ squirmed unless something was particularly jarring, but he had gotten fairly used to ignoring the other's antics.

"There's no need. I'm doing quite well. And your brother was able to deliver the homework to my dorm." Floyd raised a brow at that, though it should have been hardly surprising. He grinned down towards the smaller of the two, flashing his sharp teeth, making Riddle rub his shoulder nervously. 

"You look pale." He said, tilting his head to the side as he moved to poke Riddle's cheeks once more. "I miss your pink cheeks."

The redhead moved to swat the finger away, though the other had pulled it away just in time, making the grin even bigger. "Just because I'm recovering from Overblot doesn't mean I won't behead you."

"Eeeh? But I heard you were so nice now~" Riddle scoffed, feeling annoyed that his change of heart about rules was being twisted into something else.

"Do I seem nicer to you?"

"My goldfish is always nice~"

The redhead let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly. "You've got a strange definition of nice." _Very strange indeed_. They were almost at the school where he could _hopefully_ find Trey or Cater to save him from this encounter. He was proud of himself, though he could feel the familiar tickle in his throat of a coughing spell. He pulled out the handkerchief once more, a couple deep, wet coughs expelling black ink onto the delicate fabric. He could feel Floyd's eyes on him, taking note of the situation at hand. _Come to look at the freak then?_

Even his own train of thought was cut off by another, longer coughing spell. Riddle's eyes went wide as he found himself having a hard time standing. His legs wobbled underneath him for a few moments before finally buckling, his knees hitting hard against the stone walkway underneath him. He could feel Floyd's arms around his shoulders, though he was more focused on the startling amount of black ink that was covering his handkerchief. His vision was blurring and when he did finally try to get to his feet once more, he only fell back down the ground.

Floyd's expression was blank as he looked down at him and Riddle couldn't help but wonder just how pathetic he must have looked. He didn't really have any reason to act so high and mighty at that moment. Floyd lowered a hand towards him, which the redhead took reluctantly. His vision hadn't come back, when he wiped his mouth, traces of black showed on his hand, and he could feel the warmth of a fever on his cheeks. _It's all your fault I didn't notice it. You shouldn't tease me so much_. He wanted to scold, but he didn't have the energy.

"Can you walk?" Riddle nodded, though when he took a step he stumbled, forcing the blue haired boy to catch him by the elbow. The taller of the two shrugged and kneeled in front of the other, motioning for him to get on his back. Riddle shook his head violently, the idea of owing something to Floyd sending new shivers down his spine. "I'll take you to the infirmary, okay?" Once again, the prefect shook his head, willing for literally _anyone_ else to come save him from this nightmare. Floyd tilted his head to the side, though his expression was completely blank. "Why not?"

Gripping the handkerchief tighter in his hand, he almost felt selfish saying why. Here he was, needing actual help, and choosing not to owe the person before him. He knew too much about him at this point and he wasn't sure about how deep his fascination with Riddle really went. Though, the smallest hint of a smile formed upon Floyd's lips. "I want to hear you say it."

"I-I...don't want to owe you." His voice was quiet, though it seemed to be enough for the person before him.

"Well, then." The smile on his face widened slightly, though it was the same depressed Floyd he had met a couple times before. He moved to pinch the stained fabric still in Riddle's hand. "I want this, then."

The smaller boy glanced from the boy before him, to the stained handkerchief, then back towards the boy. Did he have some weird ulterior motive? Did Azul have something up his sleeve? Still, he let go of it willingly, letting it dangle between the fingers of the other. The strange grin remain on his face until he turned around once more, and the feverish feeling combined with the embarrassment of having to ride of Floyd Leech's back. He climbed on and the other stood up quickly, beginning to walk as if he was carrying something no larger than a backpack.

"Floyd...?" He buried his face slightly into the other's shoulder. When the other glanced back at him out of the corner of his eye, he didn't say anything, but locked eyes with him to signal he was listening. "Could you take me home instead?" He wouldn't have been surprised if the other had said no--it was a much longer walk. He just didn't want to hear lectures from Trey and Ace about going out before he had fully healed. Floyd glanced in the direction of the infirmary for a moment, but turned on his heel to walk towards the Heartslabyul dorm. Riddle shrunk into the other's back slightly, almost trying to hide himself from any onlookers they may pass. "Thank you."

After a few moments he could feel himself settling into the rhythm of the other boy's pace, causing him to close his eyes a little. There was no way he was going to fall asleep, but the dizziness still hadn't subsided and there was a sense of calmness that flooded over him when he just paid attention to each step and the rise and fall of Floyd's breathing. And he continued like that until they entered his dorm. He could hear people moving, making him aware that word would get back to Trey that he had had to have been _carried_ back, though he didn't bother to open his eyes to see who. If he found out later, he'd make a note to punish them. But for now, he felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. 

Although he was reluctant to say it, he was almost disappointed when they had gotten to his room and Floyd set him down near the bed. Riddle watched closely as the blue haired boy put a hand to his forehead, taking note of his temperature. The closeness of his face brought back images of the two of them kissing, Floyd's teeth sinking into his lips, his shoulders, his neck until he started to bleed. And what's worse was that Riddle had _asked_ for it. The feverish boy's lips parted slightly as he brought a hand to his cheeks, willing the visions away. 

"You should sleep." It still surprised the redhead just how much Floyd could change in just a matter of moments. Had he been the cause of that? Or had it been just coincidental as Jade had said it could be? He nodded, kicking off the uniform's shoes and blazer before crawling into bed, clothes and all. He didn't dare undress, not there, not when he was already envisioning Floyd's teeth digging into his skin once more.

"Floyd?" He said, pulling the blankets up to cover half of his face. The twin turned to look at him, raising a brow. "Thanks."

Floyd raised his hand to wave, but between two fingers hung the ink-stained handkerchief. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll give you another today. As a treat. But actually because I'm getting surgery tomorrow and won't be able to write for a few days. But just know I'll be thinking of fun things to throw at you all while I'm away!

He was already dressed by the time he heard someone knocking on the door. It was like clockwork--Jade would come every day during lunch with something from the cafeteria for Riddle to eat while dropping off the homework. When he had been in the infirmary, the two of them had planned everything out to make sure things would go as smoothly as possible for the both of them. However, when the door opened, the smile he had held for Jade dropped immediately upon laying eyes on Floyd.

"Ah~ Goldfish!" He cooed, walking into the room uninvited.

"I've told you to stop calling me that." He said, crossing his arms over his chest as he furrowed his brow. "Where's Jade?"

Floyd tilted his head to the side. "Mmm~ I don't know." He beamed towards the boy on the bed, moving closer to it until he sat with one leg draped over the mattress. "But he sent me here instead." The blue haired boy set some papers between them on the bed and slid them across the blankets towards him. Somehow Riddle doubted that it was Jade's choice not to come. While the two of them weren't exactly friends, they at least had an amicable relationship as classmates. And the fact that it had slipped out of his mouth just yesterday that Jade had been bringing him homework was too much of a coincidence. _Damn it._ It seemed he only had himself to blame. 

Blue eyes narrowed on the other as he moved to lay across the bed, eyes closed with his arms draped over Riddle's legs under the cover. The grin that was almost always present on his face sent shivers up his spine as the other kicked his legs. "Is that all?"

"Hm?" When he opened his eyes, the redhead could have sworn he felt the yellow eye baring into him, sending a shiver up his spine. "I can't leave yet~ Doesn't Jade spend most of lunch with you?"

The smaller of the two let out a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. "We're not in the same class, Floyd." The twin sat up and grabbed one of the papers before moving on the bed to prop himself against the other set of pillows. Riddle's cheeks brightened as he felt the warmth of the other's shoulder brushing against his, trying to focus on the shoes that were resting on the covers. _Rule violation._ He kept trying to tell himself. _Rule violation_. Anything to keep his mind wandering.

"I know this." Floyd said, offering the paper towards the other. The smile on his lips grew as the prefect took it, unable to meet his gaze. "I can help~" 

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?" The twin leaned in a little closer, sending Riddle's heart racing. He could feel the phantom sensation of the other's lips against his, an arm wrapped around Riddle's waist to keep him from squirming too much.

"I don't need your help." The voice that came out was little more than a whisper and blue eyes focused on the lips just a few inches away from him. He could feel the breath of the other on his skin and a part of him wanted to close the gap between them and another wanted to run away, leaving him stuck in the terrifying spot of not doing _anything._ However, when his stomach growled, Floyd tilted his head to the side and grinned.

"Are you hungry?"

"I-I'm fine. I'll just cook something later." He said, now trying to look _anywhere_ but the person beside him on the bed. 

The grin only got larger as the twin grabbed one of one of Riddle's hands, giving it a squeeze. "Hey, hey~! Let's cook together!"

"No, you really don't have to! I can do it myself!"

"But it'll be fun~" 

"You'd probably miss class."

"So?"

"I can _still_ use my unique magic, you know." Riddle crossed his arms over his chest, an annoyed expression apparent on his face.

The blue haired boy moved to rest his chin on his shoulder, watching him from the close distance. The Heartslabyul student didn't _dare_ turn to meet that gaze, even from the corner of his eye. "Then I'll just stay right here until you agree!"

The prefect decided to try to call his bluff, but after five minutes of them sitting in silence in _exactly_ the same way, he let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, _fine_."

"Yay~" The other said, wrapping his arms around his waist to give him a hug. This time, Riddle didn't hesitate to push the other off of him before kicking his legs over the bed.

He shuffled towards the kitchen, sulking like a child as he heard the other behind him humming. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess? They had agreed that sleeping together had been a mistake, so _why_ did he insist on tormenting him like this? And it had been Riddle himself who had been improper with the other that had caused the taunts to begin with, but the teasing never stopped. He could still see the smirk on the other's face, staring back at him as Riddle reeled from his Off With Your Head missing. The other only seemed even more amused as the prefect panicked having not known the other's unique magic, leaning in close to tease him even more. _Ahh~ Riddle's so cute when he's angry._ The taunts kept coming. _Ah, you look like a little red goldfish!_ And coming. _You're the cutest when you're all red~_ He shouldn't have kissed him. He was supposed to be punishing him. He was supposed to set an _example._

Arms wrapped around his shoulders as they entered the kitchen and once again the taller of the two leaned on the other for support. "You look so scary when you're thinking hard." He sighed. 

Riddle gripped his hands tightly, fingernails digging into his palms. Blue eyes stared down at the tiled flooring. "Why do you do this?" 

"It's fun." Both of them were quiet, though he could still hear the amusement in the other's voice.

"Trying to make me angry isn't _fun_."

There was a soft chuckle in Riddle's ear. "Taking care of you is fun, Goldfishie~" Furrowing his brow, the smaller of the two finally turned his head slightly to glance at the smiling person perched on his shoulder, though he quickly stood up straight to practically skip towards the kitchen. He had to admit, he was a _little_ taken back by the other's statement. It wasn't as if he was _really_ taking care of him--he just helped him back to his dorm the other day. And brought homework in place of his brother. The prefect crossed his arms over his chest, though took a tentative step to peer at whatever Floyd was eyeballing. He peered back, "Vegetable stir fry?"

Blue eyes blinked a couple times before nodding. Floyd handed him a variety of vegetables and some pork before making his way towards the pantry, eyeballing different sauces and seasonings to add to it. The smaller boy shifted awkwardly where he was, but eventually moved towards the island in the kitchen to set down the vegetables before grabbing two cutting boards and two knives. As much as it seemed like the other really did _want_ to take care of him, he wasn't going to allow him to cook by himself, after all.

When the other turned around, he stared at him a couple times. "W-What...?" 

He had to admit, he was a bit taken back by the genuine smile that was returned to him. He smiled often, but it was usually a lazy one. This one was far more excited than Riddle could really imagine _ever_ seeing it. "We're really going to cook together!" A laugh escaped his lips, which made the red on Riddle's cheeks flare up in embarrassment. The other hopped towards him, taking his place near the redhead to begin chopping the vegetables as well. 

He had _almost_ finished. He was so close. He could feel the tickling at his throat, forcing him to drop the knife mid-cut so he could turn away from the vegetables. A hand reached towards his pocket, feeling for the handkerchief that was no longer there. It was too late to grab a towel before he started coughing violently, bending over at the waist from the pain of it. He coughed into his hand, black spittle marbling his pale skin. _Not as bad as yesterday_. He thought as he caught his breath. He was thankful for that, at least. It had been more embarrassing than he had liked to have been unable to even walk himself back home. Raising a hand preemptively towards Floyd, who had rushed in front of him, he stood up straight. "I-I'll be alri--"

Floyd grabbed the hand stained with ink and pushed Riddle back against the island, pinned there by the hips and one arm around his waist. Eyes widened as he felt the familiar softness of the other's lips, though was taken back by feeling the other's tongue lap at the bitter spittle that still lingered on his lips. His heart was pounding so loudly he was almost certain that the other could hear it. A heat spread through Riddle's body once Floyd pulled away with a content expression on his features. "More bitter than I thought~"

Riddle squirmed, still pinned between the kitchen island and the teal haired boy in front of him. "Wh-What was that?!" Knuckles turned white as they gripped the table behind him, trying to will away the embarrassment that seemed to bring Floyd so much joy.

"I was curious." He said, moving the knuckle of the hand he still grasped to his lips. At first he lingered there for a moment, making Riddle wonder if he really _was_ going to lick at the ink. Though, as his odd-eyes stared into Riddle's, something seemed to change as he let go, taking a step back with a chuckle.

He hadn't even known his legs were shaking until the other's support was gone. Hands still grasped the island for support and he refused to look at Floyd. A part of him was actually terrified by what had occurred. Why did it seem that the other was so fascinated by the Overblot? Why did he have to use the most embarrassing point of his life to torment him more? Warm tears threatened to spill over. As angry as he was, a part of him was afraid of that, even. Afraid that he'd be consumed by Overblot again. Afraid he'd even be consumed by the person in front of him again. 

Finally, Floyd broke the complete stillness in the kitchen by placing a hand on Riddle's shoulder. Blue eyes shot up, glaring towards him. "Go rest and I'll leave the food outside your door, okay~?" It took him by surprise, but eventually Riddle nodded before turning on his heel. He refused to look back as he walked, but he could hear the familiar, rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board. As he ascended the stairs to his room, he brought the blotted hand to his lips, running his fingers over where the haunting sensation of Floyd still lingered. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the well wishes everyone! My surgery went really well and I've been recovering decently! I do want to say that the chapter after this will proooobably be the last one unless you guys want just normal day-to-day school life stuff. Or lean even harder to something I bring up explicitly in this chapter. We shall see.

A loud rapping awoke the prefect from his slumber with a jolt. A cold sweat made the sheets cling to his skin as he tried to place when and where exactly he was. He lifted a hand to wipe at his eye, hoping that the lattice work the Overblot had painted on him had evaporated upon awakening. He could still feel it boiling inside of him, waiting until he was weak enough to overcome once more. Even Riddle could tell that another attack on his body like that would have even worse consequences than being bedridden. 

Once again, three loud knocks echoed at the door. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. "Come in."

Brows knit together as he watched Cater open the door. Blue eyes glanced out the window by his bed, listening to the sound of early morning chirps. While Cater didn't make himself scarce while Riddle was recovering, he didn't usually come in the mornings. If anyone visited, it'd be Trey if he had had extra time in the morning to make breakfast for the both of them. Which, to be fair, was most of the time.

"Don't look so disappointed~" The boy chuckled, moving closer to the bed that Riddle still sat upon. He shifted awkwardly, his stomach churning as he realized that a part of him _was_ disappointed. While it was far too early for his visits, Floyd had been replacing Jade for the past couple days. Sure, it was _mostly_ uncomfortable, but it was getting better. The memories of what had happened last year were melting away--no, that wasn't _exactly_ true. Riddle was becoming more comfortable with it so long as the other didn't invade his personal space _too_ much. 

"Why would I be disappointed?"

"Hmmm~ I wonder." Cater said, bringing his phone to his lips to try to hide the growing smile. Blue eyes narrowed at the other, trying to read what was going on behind that amused expression of his. The ginger moved to sit on the edge of the bed before showing his phone to the prefect, causing one of Riddle's brows to raise in confusion. The familiar face of the boy who'd been harassing him since he had overexerted himself shown on the screen, curled up on a familiar couch located in the common room for the dorm. "Cute, right?"

Riddle tried to keep his composure, but he had to admit, Floyd _did_ look more serene when he was sleeping. Harmless, even. "Is he down there right now?" Cater nodded a reply.

"Should I escort him out?"

The redhead brought a knuckle to his lips, trying to think of how best to handle it. It would certainly be easier on his own nerves if he was the one who kicked Floyd out. However, there was no telling how he would react if someone _else_ tried to kick him out as well. It certainly wouldn't bode well to have yet another scandal inside Heartslabyul. Letting out a sigh, Riddle shook his head lightly. "I'll do it. You should focus on getting to class. Just because _I'm_ exempt from some rules doesn't mean _you_ are."

A chuckle escaped the other's lips. "Understood~ Good luck!" He said, possibly a _little_ too cheerful for someone who just condemned their prefect to the uncertain doom of waking one of the famously cruel twins up. 

Biting down on the inside of his cheek, the boy moved towards the dresser to throw on his uniform before tiptoeing down the stairs toward the common room. A part of him had been wondering if Cater had just found out about Floyd and Jade visiting and was just teasing him, but he could see the familiar teal hair peaking over the edge of the armrest. He moved quietly, blue eyes staring down at the other as he moved around the couch to get a better look at him. Floyd really _did_ look peaceful there. Riddle had seen that same expression before and had always wondered if that was how other people would see him as well--scary in the waking world but almost innocent while sleeping.

Riddle got down to his knees quietly, pressing his lips tightly together as he took off his gloves. One hand moved to move the darker strand of hair from the other's face, though he didn't even stir at the sensation. He _knew_ this was weird. As his fingers ran along the other's jawline so light that it was almost a phantom of a sensation, he couldn't help but notice his own heart skipping a beat inside of his chest. Fingertips trailed down the muscles in his neck, then back up. The smallest hint of a smile formed upon his lips before he was jolted out of the calm morning scenario. A hand moved to the back of Riddle's head, pulling him closely so that their lips crashed together. The prefect had only had a moment of panic as he turned to notice the odd-eyed boy looking back towards him, an amused smile on his lips.

The kiss was different than the strange one they had shared in the kitchen. It was groggy, sluggish, and while the other had pulled him in a little roughly, he wasn't being forced into it--which only made it worse for Riddle when he realized he was kissing Floyd back. A hand moved to cup the twin's cheek and, despite his better judgement, there was a greed there that had been rekindling since the other had started worrying over him. 

Floyd's hands moved to his shirt, loosening the ribbon at the collar which snapped Riddle back to the present. Blue eyes widened and he pushed himself from the couch, sending him back onto the the floor. One hand moved to cover his lips as he stared towards the ground, trying to regain his breath from the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"W-We _can't_ do that." He could feel his face burning up. He could feel the other's gaze burning into him, especially the golden eye that seemed to flicker every time he was up to something.

The blue haired boy moved to sit up, though his eyes never moved from the boy on the floor. "Hmm~? And why's that?"

Riddle shot a glare back towards the other. "We _agreed_ we wouldn't."

"Did we?"

Rolling his eyes, the smaller of the two finally began to get to his feet. He wasn't going to play this game. " _Yes_. And if you want to pretend we didn't, you can leave. I'm not here to entertain you like this." The redhead began making his way towards the entrance, blood boiling at the other's disregard for their agreement. Even if that was something they had hastily decided, even if _that_ had just happened, to ignore that the agreement had happened at all was immature and something he wouldn't entertain.

"I never agreed." Those words stopped him in his tracks, forcing him to turn slowly back towards the boy still on the couch. He didn't have his usual lazy smile and as Riddle searched the other's expression for any sign of a joke, he couldn't find it. A light chuckle escaped from the others, but goosebumps formed on his skin from how _unlike_ the other it sounded. There wasn't any amusement in it, nor the words that followed. "Don't remember?"

* * *

His body ached all over, but his shoulders had taken the worst of the beating. The bite marks that adorned his skin were still irritated, though the redness was starting to dim now that hours had passed. The boy beside him hadn't fallen asleep unscathed, either--however, the claw marks didn't have the same possessive tone that the redhead liked about the biting. In the low light of the early morning, he studied the other's face as he rested. Riddle's lips formed into a fine line, realizing how much of a mistake he had made. He had lost control of the situation. He'd lost control of _himself_. 

_I'm sorry, Mama._

Floyd's eyes fluttered opened, followed by his normal smile. It was strange to think that it was only the night before the other had taken on a completely different persona. Though, he couldn't be _too_ surprised. While he had never seen it for himself, the whispers around Night Raven College were that the Leech twins were not to be messed with. It was hard to imagine though, especially with the boy in front of him snaking his arm around the prefect to pull him closer. At first, Riddle decided to enjoy the warmth of the other. It wasn't like he would ever have much of an opportunity for these intimacies and, despite how wrong it felt to break the rules, it still felt nice to be held.

Only when the other decided to take it a step further did Riddle panic. Floyd guided the redhead's chin up with his knuckle, moving to lean in for a kiss. Before their lips could make contact, the smaller of the two brought his hand to interrupt the other, causing the him to blink in confusion. "We shouldn't have done that." Riddle's voice was stern, which made the other's grasp on him loosen. Taking a deep breath, the redhead took the opportunity to slide out of his bed before grabbing the briefs and the shirt he had worn the night before that were thrown all over the hardwood floor of his bedroom. 

He didn't want to look at the other. His heart was pounding inside of his chest, yelling at him that if he wanted to reach his goals, things like _this_ couldn't happen. He couldn't have temptations. He had to be _perfect_. "It was _just_ a one night stand." Riddle felt like a failure just for saying _that_ much. "We're not going to mention this to _anyone_." Blue eyes shot towards Floyd, who was now sitting up in bed watching the other. The smile no longer lingered on his face, though he didn't seem particularly uncomfortable with the subject either.

Riddle didn't like that he seemed so nonchalant about it. His gaze narrowed as he moved closer to the bed, arms crossing in front of him. He realized it was definitely harder to look intimidating when he was disheveled and not wearing pants, but he would try his best. "If _anyone_ hears about this I'll behead you so fast that you won't even have time to react." His words were sharp and he noticed the teal haired boy shift a little in the bed. "You got it?"

Odd eyes blinked back at him, though the other didn't say anything. His lips curled into a smile before he got out of the bed, gathering his clothes in silence. Riddle let out a small sigh of relief, though that relief was cut short once the other was dressed. Floyd moved to grab the other by the shoulder, pulling him in so that he could kiss the top of the prefect's head. That small gesture made Riddle's heart sink to the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize to the other boy before he left him standing in the room sore and alone.

* * *

Nails dug into his palms as the memories flooded back to him. The other hadn't _needed_ to verbally agree--his compliance with leaving had implied he had known the consequences. So why? Why was Floyd acting like this _now?_ He had far too much going on to play the other's stupid games. Riddle could feel his head getting hot with anger. "You _implied_ you understood."

"Did I~?"

"Shut _up!"_ Riddle yelled, causing the other to blink a little in confusion. "You just couldn't leave me alone, could you?! I was fine--I _am_ fine without you, so stop coming here uninvited! Don't stand in for Jade, ignore me when you see me on campus, and _don't_ sleep on my couch! I don't want you here!" If there was anyone still lingering in the dorm, they dared not come out to rush to their class. His voice, despite coming from such a small body, boomed through the halls as they had before Overblot had taken him.

Floyd tilted his head to the side. "Why do you always look so disappointed when it's me instead of Jade?" The redhead was a little taken back by how flat the other's voice was and the amusement usually lingering on his features was completely gone. Riddle _knew_ he had to keep his composure, though. If he were to get Floyd to leave him alone, it was now or never.

" _That's_ what you're taking from this?!" He was about ready to tear his hair out of his head with how frustrated the twin in front of him was making him. But maybe this could work. If he leaned into it, the other might give up. Riddle took a deep breath, staring the other straight in the eyes. "Maybe because he actually treats me with a _modicum_ of respect. You, on the other hand? You do _everything_ in your power to make my life a living hell."

He could tell that had shifted something in the other. The teal haired boy's fingers dug into the couch, making his knuckles turn white. He didn't break eye contact with Riddle as they sat there in silence for a long while, however. In fact, it seemed like ages before a dry smile returned to his lips and Floyd tilted his head back, eyeballing the ceiling. "This is boring." Shivers ran up Riddle's spine at how emotionless the other sounded. The boy on the couch stood up and dug his hands into his pockets, not even bothering to look the other in the eye. 

The other stopped at the hallway towards the exit of the dorm, a knuckle tapping lightly on the plaster. Riddle's eyes were glued on him, though to his disappointment, the other didn't even bother to look back. "I'll ask Jade to bring your homework again." 

And with that, the other was gone, leaving Riddle alone in the dorm's common room. His lip began to quiver almost as soon as he realized he was completely alone and he moved to sit on the couch where Floyd had just been. He _knew_ he had been too harsh on the other. As the sobs grew heavier, he his lungs began to crack under the pressure of the sickness still running rampant in his body. Even if he had been _mostly_ recovered, he had been warned that stress could make it worse. Riddle coughed up the bile, catching droplets on his hand.

Blue eyes stared at the black speckles, remembering the other's strange fascination with the Overblot. _He was only here because of that_. He tried to tell himself, closing his hand to try to hide the ailment from himself. His shoulders curled around his arm as he brought it to his chest. _It didn't have anything to do with you_. Still, the memory of kissing the other back lingered in his mind. There had been no ink. Nothing for the other to fixate over with his strange curiosity. It had just been the two of them. As the tears began to spill over his cheeks, Riddle knew it wasn't going to be as easy as physically recovering to change what had caused the Overblot to begin with.

Riddle grabbed the pillow the other had been sleeping on and brought it under his chin as moved to lay down on the couch. He could still smell the other's shampoo on the fabric, which only made the redhead squeeze it tighter to his chest. He couldn't help but wonder just how disappointed Trey would be at him now. After all, he was supposed to be working to make new friends--to be _kinder_ , even. And here he had been throwing out someone who, even if he had ulterior motives, was still taking care of him. And despite everything, even when proven wrong about his own memories, he still reacted with anger. He could already hear Trey's sigh, followed by a lecture on how _not_ to be a selfish asshole. He hated himself for even _needing_ such a lecture.

 _He'll come back_. _He doesn't know when to quit_. Riddle told himself, trying to will the tears away. _Then I'll apologize._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late!! I was having a hard time with the beginning of the chapter! Plus, I'm pretty excited--I think I'll end up continuing this! I was toying with the idea of some interactions with the Octavinelle episode and stuff like that. Plus I ended up liking the very end of this chapter, so. But I hope you guys end up enjoying the summoning event if you're playing!

Floyd stopped coming. His homework would still come day after day, but whether it was Floyd or an equally as annoyed Jade was a mystery to him. Once he had heard footsteps outside of his door but by the time he could scramble to open it, whoever had left the papers on the ground was long gone. The guilt was overwhelming and as each long day passed, he began itching to leave the confines of his bedroom more and more. It was unlike Floyd to give up so easily and, to be frank, it had left an emptiness Riddle didn't know he had had. With each day that passed without his constant annoyance visiting him, he felt more and more alone. It had been refreshing to have someone there for him while the rest of his dorm continued to bond with the new class. Naturally, Riddle had insisted on it, especially after how horribly he had treated them. But the truth was, even though he was healing from the Overblot, the loneliness that had caused it wouldn't go away that easily. And it seemed that Floyd had seen that.

He had already been cleared for short activities by the nurse. Long days would still be hard for him, but they determined he could try to go back to classes the next day. _Just don't push yourself_. He had been told. _Rest if you need to_. He knew it was smart advice, which is why he needed to do this _now_ instead of when he was too fatigued by the school day. However, now that he was standing in the Hall of Mirrors, he was second guessing himself. What if Floyd didn't forgive him? What if he _hated_ him? Riddle clenched his fists, knowing he'd probably hate Floyd if the situation was reversed. Still, it was at least better to know he was hated than to keep being uncertain. Riddle clenched his fists and took a deep breath, thankful no one had been around to watch his momentary lack of confidence before stepping through the mirror.

Mostro Lounge was busy as usual. Students were crammed into booths and others, both of Octavinelle and other dorms who owed debts to the infamous Azul Ashengrotto, doted on them. The small boy glanced around the area, eyes narrowing as he tried to make out the different shades of blacks, blues, and purples that obscured the person he was looking for. A younger student moved towards him momentarily, but as soon as Riddle had taken note of their movements, he shot a glare towards him that made the other change directions. As much as it could have possibly helped him, a part of him still wanted to hide the fact that him and Floyd had been interacting more amicably than he let on. Part of that reason was because he was worried rumors might spread--rumors that were a little _too_ true. But the part that was really eating at him was the fact that he didn't know if he could handle people asking about him if this went south.

Riddle's heart sank into his stomach. As much as he had wanted to keep it a secret, it looked like he didn't really have a choice. While he could see Azul and Jade, there was no sign of the twin he was looking for. For a moment he thought about leaving and trying again, but he honestly didn't know if he'd have the courage to do this a second time. His hands were sweating underneath his gloves and the leather provided no respite from the uncomfortable situation. Instead, he opted to rub them together for a moment as he mentally prepared himself to ask Jade. 

One step. Then two. Then suddenly, the Heartslabyul prefect let out a yelp as he was yanked backwards by the cape of his dorm uniform. He crashed into someone else's body and he didn't _really_ need to look up to see who was towering over him. Still, when he did and saw the other's face beaming down on him, he couldn't help but feel his cheeks redden in embarrassment. He'd have to compliment Azul on the dim lighting. 

"Mmm~? What's a little goldfish doing here?"

As soon as he was released from Floyd's grasp, he stood up straight and patted out the wrinkles. "I need to talk to you." _Good_. His voice was firm. Calm. As much as he was trying to turn over a new leaf, learning to apologize wasn't the easiest thing. He'd had to practice saying a couple points he had wanted to make in the mirror to try to keep himself from crying about how awful he had been. Floyd leaned forward and tilted his head to the side, examining the redhead's face closely for a moment. Riddle had to admit, he didn't really like how expressionless the other looked. Though, at the same time, that was _exactly_ what he had been trying to convey himself.

Finally, he glanced up past Riddle before standing straight up. He didn't say a word as he moved, just held up two fingers to motion to follow him. This was already going a lot worse than Riddle had expected. There was a momentary relief when the other had playfully pulled him close, but now it just seemed like an attempt to mess with him. As he watched the other cross the lounge in front of him without any regard to the person behind him, especially after how he had acted for the past year, he was beginning to realize that it was truly possible that he had lost Floyd. _Lost him? You never had him_.

The twin brought the two of them to one of the VIP rooms, though not the one Riddle had seen people follow Azul in to do business with. He glanced around at the walls as the teal haired boy took off his black jacket and threw it on the side of the couch. Blue eyes gazed at the other as he leaned on the arm of the leather couch, crossing his arms over his chest. However, the smaller of the two continued to pace the perimeter of the room, letting nothing but the quiet murmur of talking outside and the clicking of his heels on the tile fill the room. Floyd didn't take his eyes off him as well, and he could tell the brighter one was reading into his motivation.

It was only when he was a little over halfway around the room that he finally mustered the courage. He took a deep breath and his gaze moved back towards the books that decorated this room as well. "You're the one who kept bringing my homework, right?" He could hear Floyd shift uncomfortably on the arm of the chair. "I really appreciated it."

"Jade said he was busy." A pang shot through the redhead's heart and when he finally glanced back towards Floyd, he wasn't looking at him.

"Still, you could have left it with Cater or Trey. I'm sure they would have been happy to take it." Riddle was begging for _anything_. "But I'm glad you didn't."

" _Glad_?" _Good. Maybe that hooked him_.

Riddle shrugged his shoulders, though when he reached back towards the front door, he turned to sit on the couch opposite the one Floyd was sitting on. He crossed one leg over the other, sitting properly in his seat as blue eyes took note of the other's body language. Arms crossed, slumped over a little, though maybe it was part of the prefect's imagination, but he thought the he looked at least a _little_ more interested in the situation.

"I..." This was one of the hard ones. "I'd hoped you would come talk to me."

"Hmm~" A smile formed on the the Octavinelle boy's lips as moved a hand to tap his cheek, pretending to think. "What did you say~? I make your life a living hell?"

A dry laugh escaped Riddle's lips, though he nodded a little at the statement. "It's pretty funny coming from me, isn't it? The one who's first years literally rebelled against him." He paused, tapping a gloved finger on his knee. He hadn't actually made that connection before that moment and it left a sickening feeling in his stomach. "I said a _lot_ of mean things to you. I'm still..." He sighed, shaking his head. It felt like an excuse. And maybe it was, but he _really_ did want to get better. "I'm still trying to learn to be a better person. I know that doesn't change anything, but I'm sorry I said it."

"Sorry~? What are you sorry for? Isn't that what you've been wanting to tell me?"

Blue eyes widened as they shot to meet the other's. The boy in front of him no longer looked particularly expressionless, but more _mad_ than anything. And really, Riddle knew he deserved it. Still, as much as he had wanted to try to keep his composure, he could feel his eyes beginning to well up with tears at the sheer coldness of his voice. He shook his head, feeling his bottom lip begin to quiver ever so slightly. Floyd, on the other hand, looked like someone ready to pounce on their prey. For a moment, Riddle couldn't help but wonder if an eel would eat a goldfish if they happened to meet in the wild. Maybe the twin had already doomed them. Or maybe he had simply had his fill already.

"It's not." He whispered.

"Hm~?"

"I said it's _not_." Riddle snapped out, taking off the leather gloves to set beside him. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, knowing the composure was so close to cracking. "I didn't _want_ you to leave. I was beginning to look forward to you visiting every day." The tears began to fall, forcing him to look _anywhere_ but at the boy in front of him. "And I wanted to cook with you again. And I _liked_ watching you nap." The tears began to spill even quicker as he remembered how much he had _liked_ that kiss. Riddle's hands moved to desperately wipe away the tears, though it seemed he couldn't keep up with them.

Floyd moved from his spot perched on the couch to stand in front of the crying boy, forcing him to look up towards him. The prefect first glanced at the other's face, then the ink-blotted fabric that was being held out for him. He blinked a couple times, the tears still falling despite the confusion distracting him ever so slightly. He hesitated a moment before taking his old handkerchief, shaking his head slightly before wiping his tears with it. " _Why?_ " 

He shrugged. "You gave it to me."

"But why did you _want_ it?"

The teal haired boy sighed in defeat before plopping down on the couch with one leg up, making it easier for him to face the prefect directly. One of his hands moved to grasp the handkerchief once more, the other moving to turn Riddle's chin to face him. "Guilt?" This only served to confuse Riddle even more. His eyes searched the other's face for answers, but that only made the tears fall quicker once more. The boy wiping at his cheeks chuckled lightly before leaning in to kiss one of the tears rolling down his cheeks away. "It's alright, it's alright~ Don't cry anymore." 

The softness of the other left a strange feeling dwelling within the prefect. On one hand, the softness of the other tending to him was something he had been hoping for but would have never been able to verbalize. There was a sense of comfort that he hadn't felt since after he had Overblotted and his dorm--but especially Trey--had been so kind to him. But on the other hand, the quick change in behavior and the fact that the other mentioned having his own sort of guilt was enough to keep the uneasiness and guilt swelling within him. The tears continued to stream down his cheeks, but he had calmed down enough to stare at the other. "What do you mean by guilt?"

A pained expression seemed to flash on the other's face, though he didn't stop wiping at the tears. "There's a lot of rumors about why you Overblotted. I don't know which are true." He began, shrugging his shoulders a little. "But mostly that you're lonely." Riddle nodded slightly, though it was a little awkward with the other still grasping his chin. That wasn't the _entire_ truth, but that wouldn't be particularly easy to explain--nor was he sure he would want to. He was still too sore from confronting the trauma his mother had inflicted upon him. "I wanted to play with you more after we slept together and I wondered if I had been more persistent if I could have helped."

Riddle couldn't help but chuckle at the other, causing a confused Floyd to pull his hands away from him momentarily. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry--" The boy said, holding up a hand to apologize while he wiped at one of his still-wet eyes. He took a couple deep breaths, willing himself to calm down until a pained smile still lingered on his lips. "There was nothing you could have done to have saved me from that. Even though we--you know, it _maybe_ would have delayed it, but it's unlikely. I think it was too late a long time ago." His lips curled into a more amused smile and, despite how heavy his heart was beating in his chest, the prefect moved to weave his fingers with one of the other's hands. He could feel the warmth spreading on his cheeks and his free hand moved to try and cover the physical embodiment of his embarrassment from the other's view..

There was no possibility that plan would have worked. The twin grabbed his wrist and pulled it down with little resistance. A chuckle escaped the other's lips and his normal happy expression seemed to be back. "Ah~ The goldfish is here~" This only proved to deepen the red on Riddle's face and this time he actively tried to pull away from the other's grasp. Both hands clamped harder around his, making the smile only grow as Floyd leaned in close to the other. For a moment, the redhead had wondered if the other was going to kiss him, but it seemed he had only wanted to make the situation more embarrassing for him by lingering just a couple inches from his face. "Ah! You can get even _more_ red. How cute~"

As Floyd continued to tease, he also continued to get closer, forcing Riddle to lean back against the arm of the chair. Blue eyes focused mostly on the other's lips, anticipating the other's apparent need to embarrass him to manifest like it always did--by kissing him. He had stopped fighting against the other and was toying with the idea of kissing Floyd himself as the other played his game. However, as soon as he was about to make his move, the other pulled away completely, leaving the prefect suddenly cold from the lack of _any_ physical contact. "Ah~ I should get back to work." Riddle blinked in confusion and sat up once more as the other moved towards the other couch, grabbing the black jacket he had been wearing once more.

 _No_. _I'm not done_. Riddle leaned over and grabbed the other's hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "W-Wait a second." He begged, though he was too nervous to make eye contact with the other to see his reaction. "I-I was hoping..." He said before pressing his lips into a firm line, shaking his head slightly at his choice of words. "I was _wondering_ if you maybe wanted to go on a--"

He was cut off by the other grasping the sides of his face and tilting it up so Floyd could lean down. He paused just short of the redhead's lips, teasing him by brushing them ever so slightly. Riddle's lips parted, reveling in the feeling of the other's breath on his skin. A part of him cursed the other for grasping him so firmly--he wanted to close that gap himself. He could practically already feel the other kissing him again already. Though, as he stared through half-lidded eyes at the other's lips in anticipation, he noticed those lips curl into a shark toothed grin.

" _No_."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm nice to you guys today! And I write other characters!! What a time to be alive. I also have a plan. It's a loose plan, but I'm still calling it a plan. Honestly it's kind of a filler chapter but we're workin' on it. I needed to set some tone.

His mind was still reeling from Floyd’s demeanor just a couple days before. Although he had gone in knowing that things probably wouldn’t be  _ perfect _ , they had certainly been going better than he had expected. Had he just been toying with him? Had he really been kissing Riddle’s tears away just to lead him on? The rejection kept playing over and over in his mind--the sadistic grin, Floyd looking down at him with a glance so cold shivers had run up his spine, and how he had left without saying another word.

Riddle knew he deserved it--he wasn’t  _ that  _ blind. Floyd’s gentleness had been a surprise and to pull it out from under him so quickly was the least the prefect deserved. He winced as he replayed the amused tone in which Floyd had repeated the insults to him.  _ I make your life a living hell _ ? How could he have said such a thing? It was obvious now how much it had hurt him.

Worrying over this made class far harder than he would have liked, but staring down at the back of Jade’s head was a sorry reminder. It wasn’t like him to not pay attention and every time he caught himself wondering what the teacher had said, he had to mentally scold himself. It wouldn’t be any good for him as the Heartslabyul prefect to get bad scores in his classes. How could he expect Deuce or Ace to actually  _ care  _ about their homework if it weren’t for how much better the rest of the dorm did than them. The redhead brought up a finger to bite at his gloved knuckle, though his pale blue eyes were fixated on the second year seated below him. 

How much did Jade know? Probably more than Riddle knew himself, honestly. If there was  _ anyone  _ Floyd would have mentioned it to, it would have been him. Jade was the one who there was no doubt about them being friends and if there was any hope of Riddle figuring out just how much he had messed things up with Floyd, he had to take it. 

“Jade!” Riddle called out as soon as the class was over, but there was no response. Brows furrowed slightly, wondering if it were possible that he had messed things up so badly that  _ neither  _ of them wanted to talk to him anymore. He hesitated for a moment, watching as the Octavinelle student made his way towards the exit of the classroom. Clenching his fist, the smaller of the two took a deep breath and pushed his way past the lingering students either talking to themselves or hoping to catch a moment with Crewel to chase after the other.

As soon as he burst into the hallway, he caught sight of his target once more. “ _ Jade! _ ” He said louder, positive that there was no way he wouldn’t be heard. And, to both his delight and dismay, the other  _ had  _ heard him. What Riddle hadn’t noticed was that the other twin had been waiting for him and was standing on the opposite side of him. 

“Hm?” Jade turned around, further revealing Floyd. Images flashed in the ginger’s mind once more of the sinister grin only inches from his lips. “Ah! Riddle. What can I do for you? Are you adjusting well?”

“Ah~ Goldfish~” Blue eyes shot from Jade to Floyd, narrowing a little at his nonchalance. “Ah! No need to look so scary~”

“I’m not looking  _ scary _ .” Riddle snapped a bit too harshly than he intended. He was just so taken back by the way the other was acting like nothing had happened. Floyd tilted his head to the side slightly, the smile widening on his lips.

“Aww~" You don’t have to be so mean about it. Jade let out a chuckle, bringing his hand to his chest as he did so. 

The smallest of the three let out a sigh and shook his head. There was no use trying to get any information out of Jade with his brother around and, frankly, the fact that Floyd was acting as if nothing had happened was more confusing to him than anything else. “Nevermind, Jade.” He said, waving his hand in front of him. “I’ll discuss this with you some other time?”

“Oh? There’s no need to leave.” He blinked a couple times in confusion.

“Yeah~ Play with us some more, Goldfish~!” 

“No. It’s fine. I’ll ask you about it some other time.” Riddle turned on his heel, feeling his cheeks warm from embarrassment. He could have guessed that it wouldn’t be  _ that  _ easy to get Jade to tell him. There was hardly a time when the twins  _ weren’t  _ around each other. Even when they were working in Mostro Lounge, they were always within eyeshot of each other. So how was he going to make sure he could ask?

He was less than ten feet from where he had been talking to the twins when he felt arms wrap around his chest. His body lifted off the ground and he felt the crushing grasp holding him as the two spun around. Floyd’s iconic giggling rang in his ear as he struggled out of the other’s grasp.

“Let me  _ go _ !” Giggling was the only response.

Finally, the teal haired boy set him down and stumbled a little, apparently dizzier than he had anticipated being. “ _ Don’t  _ do such idiotic things, Floyd. You could have hurt someone.”

“Hmm?” He leaned in close. “But it was fun~”

Riddle rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. It was obvious that Floyd was doing this just to get a rise out of him. It was the same thing he had done in the VIP room. However, this time the redhead wouldn’t be caught dead falling for the same trick. “It was  _ not  _ fun. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He turned to leave once more, but this time the other stopped him by grabbing onto his wrist. Blue eyes glared daggers towards him. “Hey, Goldfish. Jade said you’re good at flying. Jade’s being mean and saying that he won’t give me my birthday present if I don’t get my grade up. Tutor me, Goldfish~”

Riddle glanced back towards where Jade still stood, an amused expression still on his face as he held his hand up in an awful attempt to hide the smile lurking behind it.  _ So you’re behind this.  _ His lips pressed into a fine line, uncertain as to what the other twin must have been thinking. There was no way that he actually thought this would  _ help  _ their situation, right?

His gaze finally returned to Floyd’s and he searched his expression, though it seemed no less manipulative than it normally did. A part of him really  _ did  _ want to accept the offer. He  _ wanted  _ to spend more time with Floyd. But staring into those mismatched eyes reminded him of all the cruel things he had said and how he had ruined any chances he had had with him. Finally, he shook his head, pulling his wrist back from the other.

“Aww!” Floyd was persistent, however. He moved quickly to wrap his arms around the smaller one’s shoulders, putting a good chunk of his weight on him so he couldn’t move. “I guess I’ll have to go tell Jade you’re still being mean~”

The prefect’s heart leapt to his throat and he tensed up slightly, eliciting a low chuckle from the other. The boy bit on the inside of his cheek, contemplating his options. He was certainly playing right into the Leech twin’s trap, but risking getting on both Floyd  _ and  _ Jade’s bad side was a dangerous combination. Letting out a sigh, Riddle crossed his arms over his chest once more and shifted his weight to one foot. “ _ Fine _ . Meet me on the field thirty minutes after clubs end. Don’t be late.”

The teal haired boy let out an excited squeal before he wrapped his arms around the other’s waist, lifting him up off the ground once more. The prefect squirmed against him, though he had to admit he was far more grateful for a hug than the spinning he had dealt with previously. His hands rested on the other’s shoulders, pushing against him to try to keep a safe distance away. “Ah~ And the goldfish is all red again! How cute~”

* * *

_ This is a mistake _ . A part of him wondered why he didn’t just go home. Certainly Jade and Floyd wouldn’t  _ actually  _ do anything to him if he refused, right? Even though he had Overblotted, his reputation of being the strict prefect shouldn’t have disappeared completely. It wasn’t even like he was even throwing all caution to the wind, either. There were still plenty of punishments. It just happened that they were a fraction of what they were once at.

Riddle glanced down at his phone, taking note that they were already five minutes past when they had agreed to meet up. It might just be his lucky day. The boy grabbed his broom off the ground before beginning his stroll back inside.

“Goldfish!” As soon as he heard the name calling for him, he couldn’t help but wince slightly. Blue eyes glanced over towards the side of the building, taking note of the direction that Floyd must have come in as he jogged over.

The Octavinelle student halved over in front of him, breathing heavily. It certainly wasn’t  _ that  _ long of a walk from the basketball courts which meant he must have been goofing off. “I said not to be late.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t leave!”

Riddle rolled his eyes slightly, though he pointed towards the field with his broomstick. “Fine, come on. Show me what you’ve got.”

“Do I have to?” Floyd whined, shuffling his feet as he walked.

“You’re never going to get better if you don’t practice.”

“But that’s why you’re supposed to teach me~”

“Teaching doesn’t mean you get to skip practicing. I don’t even know  _ what  _ I’m supposed to be helping you with.”

Floyd pouted, which the redhead had to admit was kind of cute despite the circumstances. Still, he moved onto his broom and lifted. It was too fast, but what scared Riddle was that as soon as he was about ten feet in the air, his broom turned upside-down, leaving the other to cling to the broomstick. 

“Floyd! Get  _ down _ !” Despite the fact that he wasn’t actively falling, Riddle’s heart was beating heavily inside of his chest. The broom finally did lower, though like it had before, it lowered far too quickly. Floyd landed with a small thud on the ground, laying flat as soon as he felt the grass underneath him. The prefect pinched the bridge of his nose, pacing for a moment as he tried to calculate just how much he was going to have to teach him. 

“I hate flying.” Floyd whined once more.

“It’s--” He was going to say alright, but it definitely wasn’t. Letting out a sigh, he shook his head. “We’ll work on your balance. That’ll make it less dangerous during class at least.” His comment was met with a groan, which forced Riddle to nudge the other’s side with his shoe. “Come on, get up.”

There was another struggle that came along with focusing on core work--the fact that Floyd didn’t even seem to have enough control to consistently figure out how high he wanted to go up. Honestly, the redhead was surprised that Vargas had even let him continue with lessons when the other was so obviously a danger to both himself and others.

“To stay balanced on the broom, you have to engage your core.”

Floyd blinked at him from his spot hovering just about a foot off the ground. “My what?”

Furrowing his brow, Riddle placed his hands on his own stomach. “Your  _ core _ .”

“Hmm~? Like this?”

“Well, now you need to sit up straight.” Floyd straightened his back slightly, though it still had a slight slouch. Riddle let out a sigh and moved to grab the other’s shoulders, forcing him to sit up straighter. He pulled his hands away from the other as quickly as he could, trying to will away the phantom sensation of touching him without his shirt on.

“I don’t know if I’m engaging my core enough.” Alright, now Riddle  _ knew  _ the other was messing with him. He had already been confused that the other didn’t seem to not know what his core was, but the fact that he was a  _ basketball player  _ who didn’t seem to know was even more absurd. 

“If you’re not going to take this seriously, we can end here.”

“But it’s so  _ boring _ .” He sighed. 

“Even if it  _ is  _ boring, you have to make sure you’re not going to kill yourself while doing it.”

“Hmm~? Is Goldfish worried about me?”

“A-Ah…” Blue eyes glanced away from the other and his cheeks warmed slightly. “I mean, I don’t want you--”

Riddle blinked in confusion as he suddenly felt wind brush by him. Where Floyd had once been, he was now missing. His heart beat heavily in his chest as he heard the other screaming. When he finally caught the other in the sky, he had lost complete control over the broom. He was upside-down once more and the broom whizzed through the air, changing directions at a moment’s notice.

_ Shit _ . The redhead grabbed his broom and lifted into the air. This was  _ exactly  _ what he had been afraid of. He rushed towards the other, but Floyd took a dangerously sharp turn, which both threw Riddle off and shook Floyd so he was now dangling by just his hands. The redhead furrowed his brow, willing his broom to go faster. While he was known for being pretty good at flying, he still was far from perfect. He had never navigated it in an emergency situation like this and he found himself suddenly cursing himself for not being better.

Somehow, he managed to get himself next to Floyd’s broom and he reached his hand out for the other. The other boy let go of the broom and tried grabbing onto Riddle’s hand, but his broom shook, leaving their fingers to brush slightly.

Blue eyes widened. That shake had been enough to make Floyd lose his grip and suddenly he was falling. A beat passed of pure shock before Riddle was racing towards the ground, hoping to catch him. However, that beat made him too late. Floyd crashed on the ground and a second later, Riddle landed as well. He fell to his knees, hands shaking as he tried to assess any injuries the other might have had. “A-Are you alright?!”

The injured boy groaned on the ground and he took a moment to respond as he assessed his different limbs. “I think so.” He finally said, though his face remained contorted in pain.

A moment passed between the two before Riddle began to laugh. Odd eyes stared at him curiously. “I-I’m sorry!” He managed to get out after a moment, wiping away at the tears forming in his eyes. “I’m sorry, you just scared me so badly!”

Floyd smiled, seemingly distracted from the pain as he lifted a hand towards Riddle’s face. A finger brushed along one corner of his lips, gently tracing half of a smile on his skin. The redhead blinked a couple times in surprise, analyzing the weirdly calm expression on the other’s face.

“Riddle?!” A voice called out towards the two of them, causing the twin’s hand to jolt back. Brows furrowed as Riddle glanced towards the person jogging towards them, surprised to see the familiar green hair of the vice head of Heartslabyul. 

“Trey? What are you doing here?”

“I came for you! Are you okay, Floyd?” The Octavinelle student gave a thumbs up towards the other with his normal, lazy grin. He started getting to his feet, which made Riddle panic slightly.

“Don’t force yourself! I can get the nurse if you need.”

“I’m okay~” Despite saying this, he winced as he straightened his back. 

“Are you sure?” Trey asked, concern clear on his face. 

Floyd nodded and leaned down to grab his broom. “It’s alright~ I’m just a little sore.” He took a few steps backwards, glancing towards Riddle as he did so. “Play with me tomorrow too, Goldfish~”

Blue eyes blinked in confusion as the other turned around and made a hasty exit. His stomach churned at the thought of the other having a concussion, but he pushed the thought from his mind as Trey held down a hand to help him up. 

“How did you know I was here?”

“Ace was complaining about how Floyd wouldn’t shut up about it during basketball.”

“Oh.” Despite everything, that still made his stomach flip.

“When did you two become friends? I thought you hated him.”

He thought back towards him trying to ask Floyd on a date, causing the smallest hint of a smile to form on his lips. It was gone just as soon as it had arrived and Riddle shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a favor for Jade.” Riddle gave one last glance towards the retreating twin and picked up his own broom. “Shall we?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm giving you a chapter early. Why? Because I was excited. I've actually already started working on the chapter where Floyd and Riddle start being soft boys, though you may notice there's another tag that snuck it's way into the work so you're gonna have to deal with that for a little bit. But don't worry, there'll still be plenty of Riddle and Floyd. Also you may get a bonus chapter when they start being soft boys because I can't help myself. 
> 
> I also wanted to say I made a twitter if you wanna hang out with me! It's gonna be a bit saucier but I wanted a place to scream about my ideas for this fic or future fics so I invite you to come hang out with me! It's @trappola_writes

Riddle’s club had finished earlier than he had expected, giving him plenty of time to switch from his riding clothes to his normal gym attire. At first he waited outside of the gym, listening to the squeak of sneakers bouncing off the walls and the occasional grunt or cheer from members of the team. The redhead tapped his foot impatiently, arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the clock above the double doors. It was now five minutes past clubs were supposed to end, but the continued noises implied there was no end in sight. 

Biting on the inside of his cheek, he finally made his way inside. Only a few turned to look towards the noise--one being Ace--but they continued to play their game as the boy found a spot he liked on the bleachers. Brows furrowed slightly upon seeing Floyd on the bleachers, however, his chin resting in his palm as he stared lazily at the group playing. The prefect made his way toward the other, though if the younger of the two noticed, he didn’t let on even when Riddle sat down next to him.

“No intention of coming to practice?”

“Hm?” Floyd said, blinking a couple times before fully taking the other in with a lazy smile. “Goldfish~ You came to watch me play~!”

Blue eyes blinked a couple times at the other before glancing towards the court where the others were playing. “Maybe if you  _ were  _ playing.” In all honesty, he found basketball to be rather boring, but that was beside the point. “Are you sore from yesterday?”

Floyd nodded a little, glancing back towards the others playing. “I really wanted to play with them today, too.” He whined, leaning his head on Riddle’s shoulder. The redhead stiffened under the weight of the other before sliding away from him with his arms crossed over his chest. He had already hated the other’s constant need for affection, but in front of the younger people in his dorm, it was  _ especially  _ detestable. They weren’t dating, they weren’t friends, they weren’t really  _ anything  _ to each other at this point. It was best not to have Ace see and have him run his mouth to people such as Grim and Deuce. He wasn’t sure  _ how  _ he could contain such a rumor if by some miracle there wasn’t already one floating around.

The two of them sat watching the movements of those on the court. Riddle had to admit, he was rather impressed with Ace. He was impulsive, boisterous, and didn’t really think before he acted. But on the court he almost looked hardworking. He couldn’t help but Floyd would have looked the same way. He peeked back towards the other, his dual-toned eyes still locked on the court in front of them with his lips curled into a disappointed pout. It was honestly hard to imagine Floyd looking determined at pretty much  _ anything _ , but he had also never seen him disappointed in anything but studying or other people. 

Riddle let out a soft sigh before standing up. “I’ll let you off the hook, but just for today. Alright?”

The teal haired boy blinked up at him a couple times before sliding quickly to wrap his arms around Riddle’s legs, causing his cheeks to redden as he struggled out of his grasp. “No! I still wanna play!”

“Ugh! Let  _ go _ !” Riddle yelped, leaning down to try to pry the other’s off of him.

“Don’t leave!” His grasp around the other only tightened the more the redhead struggled, making it a little more clear what his threats of squeezing people could actually mean if this is what he was like with little effort. “Please!” He continued to whine.

“ _ Fine _ . Just let  _ go _ .”

“Yay~” He exclaimed as he gave a quick, tighter squeeze. Riddle wasn’t sure if that was meant to be an awkward hug or a threat that it could get worse, but he sat down as soon as the other let go of him again. 

“I just thought you’d like more time to recover. You didn’t seem too interested in practicing yesterday anyways.”

“Hmm…” He thought for a moment, tilting his head to the side. “I don’t really want to but you said you’d play with me today.”

“No, you  _ told  _ me to come.”

Floyd’s lips curled into a grin as he watched the prefect. “And you did~”

Riddle stared back, though his own expression was not nearly as happy as the other’s. His lips pressed into a fine line and he couldn’t help but wonder  _ why  _ he had come. Was there really any hope of reconciliation by doing this? Or was he being strung along again? It was concerning to know that the other had learned just how easy he could easily manipulate him. It almost made him want to cut his losses completely and run. 

He sighed, shaking his head as he turned on his heel. “Come on, then.” He could practically feel the joy radiating off of the other as he hurried to his feet, falling in right behind Riddle as the two of them moved along the bleachers to exit the gym. “And we’re  _ still  _ practicing, but we’ll hold off on the broom for now.”

“Hmm~?”

A smirk formed on the redhead’s lips as he turned to glance back at the taller boy next to him. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t work you  _ too  _ hard.”

As soon as they arrived where they had been practicing the day before, Riddle crossed his arms over his chest and turned towards Floyd. “Alright, we’re going to work on balance.” 

Floyd pouted. “Aww, but that’s not very fun.”

“If you can’t consistently stay upright on your broom then you’re just going to hurt yourself again.”

“Then you can catch me~”

“I didn’t even catch you  _ last  _ time.”

“But you tried!” Floyd grinned, as if  _ trying  _ to save someone was the most important thing. The redhead blinked at him a couple times, wondering just how nice it must be to have nothing but air between your ears sometimes. What if his broom had been higher? What if he had landed on his head? There were so many more things that could have gone wrong and  _ thankfully  _ didn’t.

“And what about when we graduate?”

The taller of the two contemplated this for a moment, rubbing the back of his head. “Hmm, well if I go back to the Coral Sea then I won’t need a broom. And if I stay on land then you can still catch me!”

Riddle rolled his eyes. “You’re  _ not _ following me around after graduation.”

“Hmm?” The teal haired boy’s eyes narrowed slightly and his voice lowered, causing shivers to run up the prefect’s spine. “We’ll see about that, Goldfish~”

The Heartslabyul student stared at the other for a moment, cursing himself once again for getting himself into this mess. It wasn’t as if there  _ hadn’t  _ already been the fact that the Leech twins were known as Octavinelle’s dangerous muscle, but he had managed to get on Floyd’s bad side. But that certainly didn’t mean that the other could hold a grudge  _ that  _ long, right? 

“Just...balance on one foot or something.” Riddle finally stated, lifting up his own foot and extending his arms to the side. “I’ll do it with you.” Floyd let out a groan, but did what he was told. Honestly, he was better than the redhead would have expected given his poor balance on a broom. He wobbled a little, but not enough to fall over. After a time, the two switched to the other foot. Still decent. 

“This is boring.” Floyd whined, his shoulders slumping slightly, making him wobble enough to have to catch himself with both feet. “Can’t we do something else?”

“No. Now get on one foot again and move your arms. Like this.” Riddle swung his arms around him gently, wobbling a bit himself this time. The twin gave him a bored look before half of his lips curled into a smirk. The redhead had definitely gotten too comfortable and the other’s patience was getting thin, so when Floyd wrapped his arms around the other and put his weight on Riddle, the two came crashing down at the ground.

Annoyance flared up within the older of the two, already turning red before he had opened his eyes from the impact. “What do you think you’re doing?!” He tried to pry the other off, but his grasp on Riddle’s torso was too strong. “Get  _ off _ !”

“I don’t wanna~” He clung tighter.

“You’re wasting my time!” Riddle snapped, feeling the heat rise to his face. “Now get  _ off _ !”

To his surprise, Floyd  _ did  _ release his grasp around the prefect. He was suddenly overly aware of the other’s body in proximity to his--arms on either side of his head, his knee  _ dangerously  _ close to Riddle’s crotch. Blue eyes widened as he pinned the other against the grass, lips curling into a hungry grin. “It doesn’t have to be a waste of time~” 

The redhead placed a hand on the other’s chest as soon as the other began to close the gap between them. Floyd stopped, giving the boy on the ground a curious glance. He tried his best to look stern, but the panic welling inside of him made him uncertain if he looked  _ half  _ as serious as he wanted. “I’m not playing your games, Floyd. If this is another joke then  _ stop _ .” He was tired of it. Tired of being led on. Tired of Floyd using Riddle’s feelings to get him to do what he wanted. 

And truly, he realized how ironic that was. 

When the teal haired boy began to lower himself once more, Riddle didn’t push against him. The lack of response hadn’t given him much to go on, but a part of him  _ wanted  _ to hope that this meant he had been forgiven. To the redhead’s surprise, Floyd didn’t kiss him. Instead, he had leaned into the other’s neck, lingering there for a moment. His heart leapt into his throat, lips parting as he felt the other’s warm breath on his sensitive skin. Memories flooded back of the other sinking his teeth into his skin, at times making the skin break. Fingers curled around the other’s shirt as he tilted his neck, exposing more skin for the boy above him. 

Floyd’s teeth grazed gently against his neck, sending goosebumps all over his skin. The boy squirmed slightly, his stomach doing flips as he realized how  _ bad  _ this could get. A chuckle escaped Floyd’s lips. “Look how cute my goldfish is~” He teased before kissing Riddle’s neck. His stomach was doing flips, fingers curling tighter around the other’s shirt as he arched his back up towards him. 

Another chuckle escaped his lips before he moved to kiss the smaller boy on the forehead. “I’m not done punishing you yet~” Floyd moved to sit on Riddle’s legs, an innocent smile on his lips as the boy on the ground blinked a couple times to bring himself back to reality. He had seen it coming, but Floyd had gone further than he had expected, leaving him far more disoriented than he would have liked.

“Hm?” Floyd glanced off in the direction of the school building, forcing Riddle to tilt his head up to see the vice head walking towards them once again. “Aww, how boring~” He sighed, moving to roll on the grass himself.

“Seems like you have your hands full.” Trey chuckled as he approached, extending a hand down to help Riddle up. Suddenly there was a whirlwind of emotions inside of him as he grabbed his hand. Panic, embarrassment, guilt, and even some of that longing still lingering inside of him. 

He glanced down towards the boy still laying in the grass, his eyes closed as he seemed to stop caring about the Heartslabyul students. “I won’t be able to help you tomorrow.” Floyd’s eyes opened slightly, though they didn’t focus on anything but the sky above him. The redhead shifted nervously from one foot to the other, wondering just how much Trey had managed to see. “I have to start overseeing my dorm’s training for the Magishift games.” They  _ were  _ getting close and it gave Riddle the perfect excuse to run from the other’s torment. The Octavinelle student let out a groan in response, moving his arm to cover his eyes from the sun.

* * *

When Trey and Riddle had arrived back at their dorm, the green haired boy smiled down at him. “Would you mind helping me with something?”

The prefect blinked a couple times in surprise, but nodded before following the other back down towards the kitchen. There was a collection of ingredients on the island, though his favorite red berries caught his eyes immediately. “What’s this for?” Riddle asked, moving around the island to grab onto the bowl of berries.

Trey shrugged, though the smile on his lips grew. “I thought you should start learning how to make your own tarts.” 

He couldn’t help but chuckle slightly before moving to grab a cutting board. “You know, I’m  _ pretty  _ sure there’s a rule about making strawberry tarts for the dorm head.”

“Pretty sure?” Trey laughed, “Don’t tell me you’re already forgetting the rules.”

“I could  _ never  _ disrespect the queen like that.” Riddle teased, knowing full well he himself wished he would forget some of the lengthy list of rules.

The vice head grabbed a knife, handing it towards the younger boy. “I’ll walk you through making the cream if you cut the strawberries for me.” 

With all the stress of Overblotting and Floyd, he had to admit, it was relaxing to spend time with his childhood friend. Even before the Overblot, Trey had been the only person he felt he could truly rely on in Heartslabyul, even if he _did_ still mess up. He was getting more comfortable now, though. It was easier to laugh and even just letting someone in beyond the walls he had put up was refreshing. 

Trey dipped a finger into the freshly whipped cream before quickly booping Riddle on the nose, leaving a big dollop on him. The younger of the two made a face, immediately recalling rule 392. He stiffened slightly and his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, forcing a laugh out of the other boy as the redhead scrambled for a towel to wipe it off.

“I’m proud of you.” He said after a moment of silence, possibly waiting to see if Riddle would punish him for it. 

“For what?”

“You’re controlling yourself a lot better. And it looks like you’re making friends.” Riddle paused, once again wondering just how much Trey had actually seen on the field. Hands gripped tighter around the knife he had been holding, though he let go of the delicate berry. He could feel yellow eyes staring down at him, trying to read the body language he was giving off. A few moments of silence passed before the taller of the two let out a dry laugh and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Is something going on between you and Floyd?”

It was the question that Riddle had kept asking himself but couldn’t find and answer to. A part of him wanted to say there was--to keep hoping that something was going to change and they were going to try and start something. But he knew the reality of it. He had been rejected by Floyd Leech and was hanging onto something that the other was taking as a joke. Taking a deep breath, he set the knife on the cutting board and started scooping the berries that had already been chopped into a bowl. “No. He’s just...being Floyd, I guess.”

“Good.” Trey said quietly, smiling a bit as he moved his hand to brush against Riddle’s, interlocking their pinkies together. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry.

He hadn’t thought about Trey in a romantic way before he had offered to teach him to make tarts. It wasn’t as if he had been  _ opposed  _ to the idea, just that he hadn’t stopped to think about them being more than just childhood friends. But he liked this. Whatever  _ this  _ was. Him and Trey hadn’t really bothered to define what they were doing, but he liked it. It was comfortable. 

And for a week, it felt like the nightmare situation with Floyd was but a distant memory.

That is, until yesterday. Floyd had come to him begging for another flying lesson, and although he had been reluctant to accept, he did. The bustling hallway of people heading home wasn’t the ideal place to tell him that whatever Floyd was doing needed to stop. But he needed to. While he wasn’t exactly comfortable telling Trey that the Octavinelle student’s obsession with him had grown, he could hope that Floyd would be enough of an adult to understand that he wouldn’t tolerate it any longer. It still didn’t mean he wasn’t  _ dreading  _ the conversation, though.

Riddle leaned back against Trey’s chest and the other wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him closer to him. Reading outside had been their lunch routine for a few days now. In truth, he wasn’t really paying much attention to the words on the paper. The warm breath on his ear caused his heart to beat heavily in his chest and he closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax further into the sensation. Trey chuckled, which only made it worse.

He closed his book and shifted to his knees as he turned and faced Trey. At first he just stared at him, which only made the other chuckle once more. “What?” Riddle shook his head, though his lips curled into a smile before he leaned in for a soft kiss. In truth, he wasn’t a fan of public displays of affection, but something about the gentle breeze, the sounds of birds chirping, and just the way Trey had come to look at him made him want to throw caution to the wind. 

Trey chuckled into the kiss, though he jumped slightly as soon as the smaller of the two pulled away. Brows furrowed before he followed his gaze over his shoulder to the Leech twins staring down at the two of them.

“Hello Trey, Riddle. Sorry for the interruption.” Jade said, his lips curled into his wide smile. “Floyd wanted to confirm something with Riddle, if that’s alright.” The redhead’s teeth clenched tightly as blue eyes moved towards the other twin who’s face looked far less amused. Not that he actually believed Jade  _ was  _ amused. There was no way that he wasn’t privy to Floyd’s plan to torment him. Judging by the look on his face, he wouldn’t be surprised if it had been Jade himself who had insisted they interrupted.

“Goldfishie~” Floyd’s voice dripped with a hardened edge he hadn’t heard before and his shoulders tensed at the sound. He felt like a dog that had been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.  _ He wouldn’t do anything here.  _ Riddle told himself. “Are we still meeting today~?”

His stomach churned. He really didn’t want to risk anything happening, but he  _ had  _ to put his foot down. If he didn’t, it would just mean the Leech twins would have free reign to interrupt the two of them until he and Trey either broke up or graduated. Riddle nodded, though he gave a sharp glare towards Floyd. “I was intending on it.” The redhead grabbed the book he had been reading and got to his feet, glancing down towards a confused Trey. “I should return this. Would you like to come with me to the third floor?”

“Uh…” The green haired boy started, glancing from the twins towards the prefect. “Alright.” He said, grabbing a hand Riddle had extended towards him. Normally, he’d let go of it and walk alongside Trey as he always had, but he was feeling a little spiteful. His fingers laced with Trey’s and he offered a smile before they started walking back towards the building.

“See you soon, Goldfish~”

As soon as they were a safe distance away, the vice head of Heartslabyul broke the awkward silence lingering between them. “You  _ really _ don’t like them.”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Then why are you helping Floyd at all?” For a moment, Riddle contemplated explaining everything. Or really,  _ most  _ of everything. Floyd’s obsession, how he was getting touchier, how Riddle wanted to take things more seriously with Trey. He glanced up towards the other, hoping that it would give him the courage to do so.

“He was giving me vague threats.” The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, hoping that oversimplifying the situation wouldn’t get him in trouble. “In hindsight I probably should have just ignored them. It’s no matter, though--I am going to tell him this is the last time we’ll be meeting.”

“It’s that bad, then?”

Riddle couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. “It’s worse tha--”

“Riddle, watch out!”

It was unlike him to miss a step on the stairs. His heart leapt to his throat as he felt himself begin to fall backwards, though Trey was quick to react. His hand wrapped around Riddle’s wrist, pulling him back roughly. Doing so made Trey lose his own balance, however, and as Riddle fell forward instead, minimizing potential damage, the other tumbled down the stairs.

Blue eyes widened in horror once he gathered what had happened in the quick succession of events. “Trey!” He let out, ignoring his own soreness as he rushed down towards the groaning third year. He leaned down next to him, hands shaking slightly as he glanced over his body, looking for any obvious signs of broken bones. “You shouldn’t have done that!” His voice cracked. “You didn’t need to do that.”

Trey let out a pained laugh. “I’m alright.” His face as he sat up betrayed that statement. “Really, it’s not a problem.” As soon as he got up, he let out a loud yelp of pain, nearly falling back down as the two of them realized just  _ how  _ badly it  _ had  _ gone.

“I’ll take you to the infirmary.” Riddle stated, getting up himself. This was one of the rare times he  _ actually  _ hated being so short. He wrapped an arm around the older of the two’s waist, hoping he could be  _ some  _ help as they began to limp towards the nurse.

* * *

Trey’s chances of competing in the Magishift tournament were ruined and it was all his fault. If he hadn’t been so distracted by the conversation they had been having and about the terrible situation he had found himself in with Floyd, the other wouldn’t be laying in his bed hurt. Ace and Deuce wouldn’t be gushing over who might be able to take his place. It was unlike him to be so distracted that he’d actually hurt himself or someone he cared about.

When the two of them finally got a moment of privacy, he moved to sit next to the other on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry, Trey.”

He chuckled once more and grabbed Riddle’s hand, offering a gentle squeeze. “I told you it’s alright. I feel fine.” Riddle nodded, though this time he couldn’t keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks. The green haired boy let at a breathy laugh before leaning forward on the bed. Fingers wiped gently at the tears, though he brushed along his cheeks and traced his jawline, until he finally guided Riddle to look towards him. “You don’t have to be so worried.” He whispered before leaning forward to kiss the redhead’s tears away.

He hated that the first thought that came to his mind wasn’t Trey being gentle or even more guilt for having caused this. It was the blue tinted lights of Mostro Lounge, the smell of the leather couch, and the lazy smile of the person next to him.  _ It’s alright, it’s alright~ Don’t cry anymore _ . It was funny. In his memory, he could almost trick himself into believing that the expression on Floyd’s face was truly one of adoration.  _ What a joke _ . 

Guilt flooded over him. What kind of person thought of another boy when the person he was involved with was trying to comfort him? Was he really  _ that  _ haunted by Floyd that he couldn’t even share this moment with Trey? He stared back at the other, glad the tears  _ had  _ stopped despite the sick feeling growing in his stomach. His vice head gave him such a soft smile that he could only return with his own saddened version of. Riddle wanted to try and make this work and to do that, his plan would  _ have  _ to work.

Riddle gave the other a peck on the lips before allowing a more genuine smile replace the one he’d had previously. “I’m sorry, I’ve got the lesson with Floyd.”

Trey nodded, though his own smile seemed to falter slightly. “Be safe.”

* * *

He had to admit, when he opened the door to the field outside, he hadn’t expected to see Floyd standing there already. Riddle blinked a couple times in surprise, pulling out his phone to double-check the time. That’d been too much of an opening, however. Despite the other’s size, he crossed the short distance from where he had been standing and where Riddle had pulled out his phone quickly and quietly, leaving a started Riddle when he glanced up once more with the twin far too close to his personal bubble. The redhead took an instinctive step back, which Floyd matched with a wicked grin. That dance continued until Riddle’s back hit the wall of the gym and panicked blue eyes glanced towards the door just a few feet from him.

Floyd’s hands slammed against the brick, causing Riddle to jump slightly in surprise. The other leaned down so that their heads were level and his eyes gleamed. The redhead took a deep breath, balling his hands into fists as he tried to calm himself.

“We have some things to discuss.”

“My Goldfish moves on quickly, hm~?” His voice was void of emotion, which only made the prefect more nervous. 

“It just happened.” Riddle knew he didn’t need to prove himself to the other, but he still felt the impulse to defend himself. If there had been any doubt when he had gone to Mostro Lounge about who he had wanted to be with, he wouldn’t have tried to ask him on a date at all.

“Oh?” Floyd smirked, leaning in to whisper in the smaller one’s ear. “Like how you and I ‘just happened’?”

Riddle felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Any thought he had had about this going as well as he had hoped was quickly being washed away. “ _ No _ .” He said sternly, but the other was already moving in for his attack. One of the twin’s hands moved to gently push aside the fabric of his gym uniform, sending the redhead’s heart racing. “Floyd,  _ don’t _ .” 

“Hmm~ It looks like he doesn’t know how you like it.” He whispered, thumb trailing along his unmarked skin. Panic rushed through Riddle’s veins and he almost felt the urge to shout out.  _ No. I don’t even like that _ . Which was true. In the heat of the moment, it had been Floyd’s breathy chuckle when he pulled away from their hungry kisses that had made him imagine his teeth marking up his skin. It was  _ those  _ teeth.  _ That  _ smile. 

Before he had the chance to speak up, Floyd’s teeth sunk into his skin.  _ Hard _ . As soon as the painful sensation spread through his body, his hands moved to grab onto the other for support. His teeth sunk in deeper, which forced a pained, but also shamefully aroused moan escape from his lips.  _ No. No.  _ He had to focus on  _ anything  _ but the other and he desperately clung to how softly Trey would smile at him when the two were together.

As soon as Floyd pulled away, Riddle was ready. “ _ Off with your-- _ !” He was cut off guard by the other giving him a greedy kiss in retaliation. The redhead shoved the other as hard as he could, unwilling to give up and let himself be taken in. “ _ Off with your head!”  _

He didn’t think there was a time he had been  _ this  _ mad at the other. His whole body shook in anger, and while the other didn’t come back to pin him against the wall again, Riddle pushed past him and began pacing back and forth, not willing to give him the opportunity.

“ _ You  _ rejected  _ me _ !” Riddle yelled, shooting daggers towards the bored-looking boy. “You don’t get to do this anymore, Floyd!”

The younger of the two grabbed the collar at his neck, though he blinked a couple times towards him as if he didn’t understand what he had done wrong. “I wanted to play mo--”

“ _ No _ . This isn’t a game!” His nails dug into his palms. “You don’t get to ruin  _ my  _ relationship!” Riddle tried to take a few deep breaths, knowing there was more he  _ needed  _ to say but couldn’t find the words to while the adrenaline pumped through his body. The eel standing before him had gone eerily quiet as well, perhaps for once respecting his need for both physical and emotional space. Finally, when he was able to even his breath a little bit, he snapped the shackles away from the other’s neck, ready to yell the words once more at the drop of a hat. However, instead Floyd just shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other as he dug his hands into his pockets.  _ Good _ .

“I know I messed up.” Riddle started, shaking his head slightly. “But I  _ tried _ to apologize for it and you had every right to reject that apology. You can’t keep punishing me for it, though. Not like this.”

“Goldfi--” Riddle raised a finger to shush the other, which he reluctantly did.

“I  _ do not  _ want to hear it.” He spat, shaking his head. “Talk to me when you’ve figured your own issues out.” The redhead turned on his heel, speed walking in the quickest direction to the Hall of Mirrors. 

“ _ Riddle _ !” Floyd’s frantic voice called out. He hated that he still wanted to turn around, to give him a chance to apologize, but he knew he couldn’t. Not right now. His jealousy had been a punch to the gut and he’d been manipulated far too many times. 

When he arrived at his dorm, he stared at himself for a long while in the mirror. A part of him wanted to curl up next to Trey in his bed, to seek warmth and comfort from him, but he didn’t have the heart right now to explain everything. He couldn’t even bring himself to assess the damage done to his shoulder. Finally, he did eventually remove his gym uniform completely, staring at the reddened area. There was some dried blood where a couple of the teeth had punctured the skin slightly, though it wasn’t too bad. Only now as gently wiped away the blood did he allow himself to cry.

Riddle fell to the floor in front of his mirror, wiping furiously at his eyes. It wasn’t just the betrayal of Floyd that was eating at him. It was the fact that for a moment he had forgotten about Trey. It was that even at that very moment, he wanted Floyd to be the one to comfort him. But mostly, it was the very real possibility that the two of them might actually be done.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are lucky. I rearranged some things because I had a stressful week and wanted to write cute shit. Hence why there's a big kinda chunk where nothing happens in the beginning because I was gonna cover that in a chapter. Alas. Here you go. Bonus chapter sometime next week because why not. It'll probably be really short though.

Riddle had been avoiding Floyd since that incident, though that hadn’t been a particularly hard task. Making sure Heartslabyul was ready for the Magishift games and also keeping eyes on the investigation Yuu, Grim, Ace, and Deuce were conducting took up most of his non-academic or club activities. Any free time was usually spent with Trey.

He hadn’t actually _told_ Trey about what had happened on the field that day. He didn’t want the other to pry him with questions he wasn’t ready to answer. _Well...do you like him_ ? The redhead could almost hear the question in Trey’s voice, even. Each word would be uncertain, wondering if he was going to lose...whatever they were to Floyd Leech. And really, he didn’t know how to answer that question at all. Of course he still liked him--it had only been a few weeks since he’d been rejected by the eel and these bouts of affection and jealousy hadn’t made it any easier to get over him. _Especially_ the jealousy. Even after the few puncture wounds had healed, he still found his thumb running along where the mark had been left. 

He knew he couldn’t keep avoiding Floyd forever, but at least he was safe today. Today was the day of the Magishift games and he had far more important duties to take care of than walking around the area Octavinelle was _certain_ to be profiting from. Still, blue eyes scanned the crowd everywhere he walked, uncertain if he was keeping an eye out to avoid Floyd or an excuse just to _see_ him. Even he could admit to himself that it was probably a mixture of both, as much as he hated it. He found safety from the eel both physically and mentally when he was with Trey, and without him holding his hand, Riddle was beginning to falter once more.

Their plan to stop Savanaclaw, in theory, had worked perfectly. Teaming up with Diasomnia to stop the attack against Malleus had worked and even Ruggie seemed to want to step back from the chaos he and Leona had caused. Riddle let out a sigh of relief, not yet realizing that it was far too early to be celebrating their victory. Not until he began to hear the anger and annoyance thickening Leona’s voice and his own body began to tremble. He could practically taste the bitterness of the ink once more as the darkness began to take over the third year.

He saw a reflection of himself when Leona changed. He knew they hadn’t _actually_ looked very similar at all, but he could still understand the rage building inside of him--your mind turning in on you as you fall to all the lies you’ve been telling yourself. Power pulsated through your veins as the magic tried to consume your very life force to fuel it. Riddle hadn’t realized how absolutely terrifying it was until Leona stood before him. 

But he had Heartslabyul. And Ruggie and Jack. And Grim and Yuu. No matter how strong Leona was, the odds were in their favor. And soon enough, the sandstorm did eventually subside as the battle ended and a tired, weak Leona fell to the ground. Riddle’s lungs ached, tired from the battle and the overwhelming amount of sand he had inhaled. The redhead wiped the sweat off his brow, watching for a moment as Ruggie and Jack tended to their fallen prefect while they waited for the headmaster.

Blue eyes glanced back towards where the crowd had been evacuated, only to see Floyd rushing towards him. He almost felt the breath knocked out of him as the other crashed into him, arms wrapping tightly around the smaller of the two’s waist to pull him close. The taller of the two rested his forehead on his shoulder, though he clung with a desperation he hadn’t seen from him before. For a moment, Riddle was surprised by the sudden outburst of affection. Not that it was unusual for Floyd to be affectionate, but it certainly wasn’t the first thing he expected after finishing a battle. 

And then it hit him.

Floyd had heard that _someone_ had Overblotted. Memories flooded back to him of the twin asking for his handkerchief, tending to him when he was recovering, even the guilt he admitted to having before rejecting Riddle. It was easy for information to get lost in the chaos, and if he hadn’t heard that it was someone else, he didn’t blame him for assuming that Riddle just _hadn’t_ changed. Floyd had seen enough of his anger even after he had Overblotted, after all--was it really that big of a leap to assume that he was regressing to his old ways?

He wasn’t sure if it was the stress of the fight or the guilt for having worried him so much that made his eyes well up, but his arms wrapped around the other’s shoulders to try and hide that fact. “I’m alright.” He whispered, causing the other to squeeze just a little harder. “It wasn’t me, I’m okay.”

“Goldfish…” Floyd whined, finally pulling away to reveal his own eyes welling up with tears. 

A hint of a smile formed on Riddle’s lips and he reached up to wipe away the forming tears. “I’m right here.”

The other grabbed one of his hands gently, giving it a gentle squeeze before turning his head to kiss his palm, not breaking eye contact with him the whole time. The sensation sent shivers down the redhead’s spine and, for once, the intimacy didn’t send him reeling with embarrassment. He could feel his heart jumping to his throat and, for once, he allowed himself to lean into the sensation. The thumb of his free hand gently brushed against Floyd’s cheek. The corners of his lips curled into a small smile as he watched the other’s cheeks redden slightly at his touch, in which Riddle reveled in the thought of of finally being the one to catch _him_ off guard. 

But then the tears _actually_ began to fall. Riddle released his hand from the other’s grasp, moving once more to wipe at his cheeks. He let out a breathy chuckle and shook his head. “There’s no need to cry.” Floyd nodded slightly, though he could see something wreaking havoc behind those half-lidded eyes that refused to meet his own. In all honesty, he didn’t really know how to comfort him aside from just... _being okay_ . He had never really been the type of person that people would go to for comfort. In fact, more recently, it was _him_ who had needed to be comforted.

Blue eyes caught sight of Crowley and he pulled his hands away from the other’s face, though he didn’t move away from Floyd’s grasp on his waist just yet. He offered the teal-haired boy an apologetic smile. “I need to discuss this with the Headmaster.” Floyd’s lip parted slightly and he glanced up, brows furrowing as if he suddenly became aware that they were surrounded by _other_ people who had also just been fighting alongside Riddle. The redhead couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle before taking a step back, the hands at his hips falling limply back to the other’s sides. He took a few steps backwards, eyes focused on the other. “Thank you for checking in on me, Floyd.” 

In all honesty, he _never_ really understood the twin, but this was no exception. Almost as soon as he had turned around to return to those grouped closer towards Leona, he felt the light tug of someone holding onto the cape of his dorm uniform. Brows knit tightly together as he glanced back up at Floyd, though he didn’t protest to the other walking alongside him.

The discussion was _mostly_ boring, though Riddle had been quick to chime in about allowing Yuu, Grim, Ace, and Deuce to play. They deserved _some_ fun. Those four had now battled two people overcome with Overblot, one of them being himself. The redhead smiled lightly at the growing rivalry between Savanaclaw and that group as they all ran to prepare for the game they’d been promised. 

But now it was him and Floyd. Alone. _Again_ . His stomach was doing flips upon realizing the situation he was in, though if the twin had any ulterior motive, he wasn’t acting on it yet. He just stayed standing next to him, fingers wrapped firmly around the fabric of his cape. _He’s almost acting like a puppy_. He thought to himself, not really understanding the clingliness even this long after the battle had ended. 

“Do you want to go watch the games, Goldfish?” He finally broke the silence.

“Hm?” Riddle blinked a couple times. He really didn’t have much interest in the games outside of how his dorm was doing in them. Still, with Floyd staring down at him with a smile that was a strange mockery of his normal one, he couldn’t bring himself to say no. “I suppose I can spare a match or two.”

The prefect took a couple steps, Floyd following closely beside him. He let out an annoyed, heavy exhale. “Do you intend to hold my cape the whole time?”

“Hmm~” Floyd thought for a moment. “Probably.”

Riddle shook his head in disbelief and offered a hand out to the other. He watched the other’s gaze move from the hand, to Riddle, then back to the hand before his expression brightened up once more. Arms flew around the redhead’s shoulders with Floyd putting most of his weight on the other.

“That was so cute, Goldfishie~” He cooed, causing Riddle’s cheeks to redden.

“It’s _just_ so it looks less strange.” There was a sharp tone to his voice, though he knew that wasn’t the _only_ reason. When Floyd pulled away and gripped his hand, he could tell by the other’s grin that the other could see through the lie as well. It was the same look he would make whenever he would violate his personal space--the one of a predator toying with its prey. 

Still, as the two of them walked, it seemed to visibly brighten the twin’s mood. The crowd was repopulating now that the threat was gone and he couldn’t help but glance at all the stands as they passed. “Don’t you have to go back to work? Octavinelle set this up, right?”

“Yeah~ But Jade’s good at handling people on his own, too.” He beamed, obviously a proud brother. Shivers ran up his spine, having only a small inkling of what Floyd did for Azul. “Why~?” He teased, lacing their fingers together. “Would my goldfish miss me?”

Riddle’s eyes narrowed before he shook his head. “Absolutely not.” But he made no movement to correct their hands to the more platonic way they had been holding them before. The teal-haired boy responded merely with a pleased sound, swinging their hands a bit more dramatically as they walked. 

“...I’m still mad at you, you know.” The redhead’s voice was quiet, so quiet that if it weren’t for the sudden stop of those dramatically swinging hands, he wouldn’t be sure if the other had even heard.

“I know. But you’re talking to me now~” He held up their hands between them. “And you’re holding my hand.”

“That’s not--!” He cut himself off as Floyd brought the back of Riddle’s gloved hand to his lips, smiling slightly as he held it there. His heart sped up inside of his chest, watching the other hold it there for a long, agonizing moment before he finally kissed it. His shoulders slumped slightly in defeat and he _knew_ he should pull away from the other. Trey was still back at the dorm and it was unfair to him to entertain this. But what tore him up the most was that this had been what he had wanted. He _liked_ the way the other was looking at him. As embarrassing as it was, he even liked him being affectionate. And now he couldn’t even tell if Floyd was just toning down the punishment or if this was the real him.

But he _wanted_ it to be the real him. And as awful as it was, he wanted it to be the real Floyd more than he felt guilty about letting this happen. Riddle pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to will away the heat on his cheeks. The Octavinelle student gave him a shark toothed grin before swinging their hands dramatically between them again.

* * *

He’d stayed out longer than he intended. The two had stayed out until the games had finished and took advantage of the food stands that had popped up just for the event. And despite the fact that Floyd had taken a large bite out of his strawberry crepe when he wasn’t paying attention, he had to admit he was having fun. Music floated around them and despite the chaos that had erupted earlier, the overall attitude of the crowd was one of merriment. 

“There’s really no need to walk me _all_ the way to my dorm.” Riddle said, crossing his arms over his chest in front of the mirror leading to Heartslabyul.

“Aww~” He teased, poking the redhead on the cheek. “But what if someone tries to take you? There’s a lot of strangers around, you know.”

Riddle furrowed his brow and shook his head, though he _was_ amused by the idea of it. “I’m perfectly capable of handling myself, but I guess I can’t force you.” _Not that I could force you to do anything, really._ Without waiting for any sort of response, he stepped through the mirror.

It was only a few seconds later that he felt the familiar weight of the other as he wrapped his arms around the prefect once more, this time resting his chin on the top of his head. Riddle crossed his arms once more, letting out a slightly annoyed sigh at the other making light of their height difference. “See? No strangers.”

“Hmm…” Floyd hummed, moving ahead of the redhead to go “inspect” some trees. “You can never be too careful, Goldfish!” Riddle rolled his eyes, walking the path towards the main doors of Heartslabyul. Floyd fell in quickly beside him, and to his relief, he stopped just a few feet before the entrance. As much as had tried not to worry himself about Trey, he couldn’t explain letting Floyd in. 

He turned back towards the eel, offering him a smile. “Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun.”

The teal-haired boy’s smile grew and he closed the gap between them. “My pleasure~” With that, he used one of his knuckles to tilt Riddle’s chin up and leaned down to kiss him on the lips. It was short, and while he had been too stunned to kiss the other back, he could taste the faint hint of a strawberry crepe on his lips. Floyd practically hopped backwards as he waved. “Thank you for the date, Goldfishie~”

Riddle stiffened, his face burning hot as he turned on his heel to rush into Heartslabyul. He pressed his back against the door as soon as he was safely inside, trying to calm the racing of his heart.

“Have fun with Floyd, Riddle?” Cater’s voice rang out, a seemingly innocent grin on his face as he waved from a couch in the common room. The prefect jumped in surprise, though he was able to regain his composure much quicker now that he knew someone was watching.

“It was fine. Are Ace and Duece still out?”

“I think so.”

“Remind them we have a curfew if they come in too late.” Normally he’d do it himself, but the whirlwind of the day left his body feeling heavy now that he was away from the bustling of people.

“Riddle.” Cater called out as he had moved to the hallway of his room. The younger of the two turned back, raising a brow at the ginger. “If you don’t tell Trey then I’m going to have to.”

All the guilt he had tried so hard to push away began to flood over him once more. He _had_ a boyfriend--or close enough to one at least. He’d actually felt _secure_ with him, too. They had a history together and he was there to comfort him after he had Overblotted. Riddle had had someone he had chosen to start something with despite how he felt about Floyd, only to be caught in the twin’s snare one more time. A gloved finger moved to run along his bottom lip, willing away the phantom sensation of the other’s lips against his to better his judgement. “I know.” He said. “I will.”

Cater gave him a nod and Riddle started down the hall towards his room once more. He knew that Floyd was prone to jealousy and had tricked him into a false sense of security before. There was a very real possibility he had just ruined everything with someone he truly cared about for Floyd’s sick sense of amusement.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know I offered you a bonus chapter, but I realized it gave away more than I felt comfortable letting you in on! So instead I've written you [a NSFW oneshot prequel!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26551633) It's referenced a little in this chapter, but not in a way that you'll need to have read it to understand what's going on if that doesn't suit your fancy.
> 
> I also had to retcon my previous chapter a bit. Someone pointed out Trey _was_ at the battle with Leona, which I had missed when I was trying to go through it again to double check, RIP.

He’d never felt guilt quite like this. It was two days after the Magishift tournament and here he was, holding Trey’s hand as they walked through the school. He’d _tried_ to tell him, but every time, he’d give Riddle a kind smile, making him wish that he had never allowed anything to happen between him and Floyd at the tournament. Trey was easier. He was a constant. And Riddle knew _exactly_ how his childhood friend felt. 

With that, there was also the looming threat in the distance of Cater telling Trey. He wasn’t sure _how_ the ginger had seen the kiss, but he made it more and more obvious that he was fully aware of what had happened outside the dorm. A part of him had wondered if he had sent one of his clones to follow him after the battle. Him and Floyd hadn’t been particularly secretive at that point, after all. But the Octavinelle student could have been worried for him as a friend. Or his former classmate. _You’re not fooling anyone. It’s not a secret you normally run from Floyd._

But so far, there was not a word from Cater. No inkling of when he might tell Trey, or if he even really would at all. Riddle had talked briefly with him about how awful he felt, about how badly he wanted to tell Trey. He just needed time. Time and the courage to do what was right. But there was always the lingering fear that his best friend might not forgive him. And what would he do without him?

In retrospect, he probably should have thought about that _before_ he left the battle with Floyd.

A sudden force pulled him from his guilty conscience, breaking apart his hands from Trey’s. Brows knit tightly together as he shot a glance towards whatever had broken them apart, only to take note of a _new_ hand holding his own. Riddle broke free from the other’s grasp, though the Leech twin grabbed it once more, this time with a much firmer grip and a grin on his lips. 

“Floyd, as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, would you mind letting go?” Trey asked, holding his own hand _also_ held by Floyd out. Riddle _almost_ would have laughed if this didn’t have the potential to have horrible consequences. The Octavinelle student glanced back towards the green haired boy and let out a soft whine.

“But you two are so cute~ I wanna hold hands, too.” It was apparent that he really had no intention of working on his jealousy. At least there was more subtlety here. Not that it was _truly_ subtle by any stretch of the imagination, but it was better than when the two of them were alone. 

“I suppose that is _kind_ of the point of holding hands with my boyfriend--to be cute.” _Boyfriend_ . That word sent his stomach churning, suddenly feeling the intense need to vomit. They’d never defined what they were and a part of that was the reason he had been able to trick himself into going on the not-date with Floyd. They weren’t _really_ dating. They were having fun. They were friends who kissed. Friends who held hands. ‘Boyfriend’ made things messy, especially with the twin right there to hear it. 

“ _Boyfriend?_ ” The word sounded almost dangerous with how Floyd scoffed it out. He turned back towards Riddle, a grin on his lips as he squeezed his hand harder. “Hey, Goldfish~ You didn’t tell me you had a _boyfriend_.” 

He’d never wanted to be invisible so badly. Blue eyes glanced nervously between the two, specifically taking note of Trey’s encouraging smile and the vindictive one closer to him. Lips pressed into a fine line as he took a deep breath. This would be the _worst_ time to deflect. Not only would it hurt Trey, it’d be obvious that he’s trying to hide it from Floyd specifically. “I wasn’t aware I needed to tell you about my romantic life.”

“Eh?! And here with all the tutoring I thought we were becoming friends~” He whined. The eel’s attention moved back towards Trey, and Riddle could only be thankful that his voice was going back to normal. “Hey, can I still borrow him for tutoring~?”

“I think _I’m_ the one who gets to deci--”

“No.” Riddle blinked a couple times, glancing towards his apparent boyfriend. His expression was stern, yellow eyes harder than the redhead had seen before. He could have sworn his heart stopped in his chest at the realization that he knew Trey knew _something_ was up between them. _But how much…?_ If Cater had told him, he would have at least liked to have been warned about it. And if so, why had he been pretending that nothing had happened? Shouldn’t he want to scold him? Cry? Tell him he forgave him, even? Why would he hide the fact that he knew?

“Eh~?” Floyd stayed quiet for a long while, which made Riddle _incredibly_ nervous. However, he finally shrugged and let go of the both of their hands. “Too bad~”

It was amazing to see the difference between Floyd getting jealous at him versus at Trey. He was grateful for the minor amount of physical attention he had received, and that it had been shared with the other Heartslabyul student. He couldn’t imagine the horror of Floyd kissing him in front of Trey--not when he apparently knew more than he was letting on. Riddle stared in stunned silence at the teal haired boy as he walked away, only brought back by the boy beside him’s voice. “Shall we go?” As soon as he nodded, the vice head grabbed his hand once more.

“You didn’t need to say no for me.”

Trey shrugged as if it was nothing, but he seemed unsettled about _something_ . “You’ve mentioned him being physical with you bothers you.” _Is that the only reason?_

“It does.” The prefect stated. “But I can make my own decisions about who I tutor.” 

That was the test. The test Trey failed as his eyes betrayed him with a flash of a pained expression crossing his face. “Understood.”

* * *

It was getting late, but he couldn’t go back to Heartslabyul. Not yet. Not when he knew that Trey knew more than he was letting on. He needed time to breathe, to think about what he’d say to him now that he knew. The library offered quiet, and Riddle sat with his face in his hands at one of the tables near the windows. 

At least, it was _supposed_ to offer quiet. The chair opposite him squeaked on the floor as it was pulled out, forcing the redhead out of his spiraling state of mind. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see him, but his heart leapt to his throat at the familiar teal hair of Floyd Leech. “Is there really no escaping you?”

Floyd smiled, resting his hand in his palm. “So I can’t study with my poor little Goldfish~?” He hummed.

“I believe you’ve mentioned before that you don’t like studying with other people.”

The smile on the other’s lips grew wider and he glanced back the direction he had come. “Ah, right~ That was here, wasn’t it?”

Blue eyes glared daggers towards the other. “Do we have to mention that right now?”

“Mmm…” His voice got more serious, eyes narrowing at the redhead. “Speaking of not mentioning things, you never mentioned you and Trey were all serious now.”

“I wasn’t aware of it myself.” Riddle knew he probably shouldn’t have offered up that information, but a part of him didn’t _want_ to hide from Floyd. “I wouldn’t have…” His voice trailed off, brows knitting together as he shook his head.

“Wouldn’t have what~?”

Riddle paused for a long moment, wondering himself what he had been trying to say. _Wouldn’t have entertained this? Wouldn’t have lied to Trey?_ But the image of Floyd’s panicked expression at the Magishift games replayed in his mind once more. The way he had clung onto him. And how Riddle’s own comforting words had come naturally to him. _I’m alright. It wasn’t me, I’m okay_ . _I’m right here_. “...I don’t know.” His voice came out a near whisper and he refused to make eye contact with the boy before him. 

The Octavinelle student let the silence hang between them for a while. For once, it seemed that it was once again the moodier version of the boy before him. The smile was gone, though he didn’t leave. “How much does he know?”

The redhead shrugged his shoulders. “Enough, I guess.” 

“Enough?” Odd-eyes glanced out the window. “So you haven’t told him yet?”

“No.”

“Hmm…” He hummed. “Do you plan on it?”

 _I have to_ . But the words got caught in his throat. He searched the other’s blank expression for any sign of what he wanted out of this, but as usual, no answers came. Was he really about to potentially ruin something with Trey for someone who insisted on stringing him along? Would it be worth the pain if he was rejected by _both_ of them? “I don’t know.” More than anything, he wished that was a lie. 

Floyd’s attention turned back towards him, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips before he stood up from the seat once more. His fingers lingered on the table, tapping a few times as he mulled something over in his mind. “Do you like him?”

Riddle blinked a couple times in confusion. “Of course I do.”

“More than me?” Blue eyes immediately fell. That wasn’t an answer he could give easily, and it seemed that that was answer enough for Floyd. He moved around the table and bent down to kiss him on top of the head. Riddle winced slightly at the contact, worried that someone would see and it would bring more troubles than they already had. Without another word, the teal haired boy dug his hands in his pockets and walked away. 

* * *

The walk back to his dorm felt longer than it ever had. There was too much uncertainty waiting for him there. Even the possibility of losing one of the people who helped bring him back from the brink of destruction. If Trey hadn’t been there to anchor him back to reality, would Riddle have even survived Overblot? He’d been a constant throughout his life--an anchor that had brought him the hope of opening up to people.

But he had to risk it. 

Riddle took a deep breath outside the entrance to their dorm’s building, gathering his courage before he opened the door and made a determined beeline towards his supposed boyfriend’s room. As he opened the door, a surprised Cater and Trey stared up at him from their respective beds and Riddle shot a glance towards the ginger.

Cater let out a nervous laugh, understanding what was going to happen. “I’m going to go now~” 

A confused expression landed over Trey as he glanced from his roommate towards Riddle. “Is everything alright?” Riddle remained silent, knowing that if he said anything too early, he’d likely fall apart. He needed to collect himself. He needed to be a leader. 

As soon as Cater snuck out of the room, Trey crossed over to the prefect. His hands rested on Riddle’s cheeks, brushing them gently in an attempt to comfort him. “What’s wrong?” He whispered, genuinely concerned over the stern look on the redhead’s expression as he stood there in silence.

“How much do you know?” Riddle finally managed to get out.

At first his confusion expression deepend, but a wave of realization washed over the older of the two. “Floyd.” The prefect nodded. Trey let out a sigh, letting his hands fall to his sides as he made his way slowly over to sit on the bed once more. “Not much, honestly.” He admitted, patting the seat next to him. Riddle accepted the offer, though he kept a good amount of distance between them. “I know what I saw after the battle with Leona. Cater hurried me off pretty quickly after that. Other than that, just what I saw when I was picking you up from when you were tutoring him.”

Riddle nodded. So Cater _hadn’t_ said anything yet. “It’s complicated.”

“How complicated?”

Shaking his head, he wondered just how much he should say. There was a fine line he had to walk between offering up so much information that it would just hurt Trey more than he needed to be hurt and telling the truth. “I like him.” It was the first time he’d admitted it to someone other than himself or Floyd and the fact _terrified_ him. “But I said some _terrible_ things to him and he rejected me for it. And he’s been tormenting me for it ever since.”

“How bad?” That wasn’t the question Riddle had been expecting. He glanced towards his best friend, and while the smile on his lips was sad, it also gave him some comfort.

He thought for a moment, trying to remember his exact wording. “Something about how he does everything in his power to make my life a living hell.” 

Trey let out a dry laugh, though he moved over to rub the prefect’s back. “That’s pretty bad.”

“I know.” He whispered, the guilt seeping into his heart once more. “I didn’t mean it. And I tried to apologize for it.” Blue eyes watched the other closely, taking in the way he was trying so hard to stay calm and be the supportive friend. The smile that lingered on his lips didn’t reach his eyes, which only made it more obvious just how hard he was trying. It wasn’t fair, he didn’t _need_ to do that. “I never meant to hurt you, Trey.”

He nodded, but his voice was quiet. “I know.”

“But I have to--”

“I know.” 

Riddle watched him closely, offering the other his own sad smile. “You’re not angry?”

Trey shrugged. “I’m definitely _disappointed_.” The prefect nodded. “But you’ve done worse.”

A dry laugh escaped his lips and Riddle shook his head. “I suppose that’s true.” He glanced at the walls around him for a moment, trying to remember just how miserable he was before he Overblotted. “I really was a tyrant, wasn’t I?”

“Possibly worse, even.” The redhead shoved the other gently with his shoulder.

“Thank you, Trey.”

He nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t let this ruin our friendship.”

Riddle smiled and leaned in to give him a gentle peck on the lips. There was no question that he cared about Trey even now. And perhaps he had ruined any chance he had had with him in the future. But for now, he needed to answer that question: did he like Floyd more than him?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Jade content! Because I love him. It's also a bit short because it was going to be a bit heavy on introspection but alas, I opted to cut some of that.

He’d mulled the question over and over in his mind, hoping the answer would come to him on his own, but his mind kept floating between his best friend and, in all honesty, the person at Night Raven College who infuriated him the most. There were even moments when Riddle regretted his decision to break things off with Trey--not that he had much of a say in the matter given Cater’s threat. But Floyd was immature. He was jealous and sometimes even cold and manipulative. 

_ “Hey, do you like me?”  _

It had been an odd question back when the eel had stayed with him, but now he couldn’t get it out of his mind. Hands moved to rub at his eyes as he laid in bed, trying to will those thoughts away, but they kept creeping back.  _ Did he want me to like him?  _ Then, as if the answer that had been lost to him before was suddenly answered,  _ does he  _ still  _ want me to like him?  _

The next morning, Trey didn’t come to wake him up as he usually did. He didn’t  _ need  _ it, but it had always been a gesture that he appreciated, and there was an emptiness lingering inside of him that knew things weren’t as okay as the other had made it seem. While his childhood friend had been kind, Riddle had still broken it off with him. There was no denying that things were going to change, as much as he tried to convince himself it wouldn’t. 

He got dressed quickly, blue eyes landing on Deuce and Ace in the kitchen. Brows furrowed slightly, surprised that the ever-doting older brother of Heartslabyul wasn’t in the kitchen either. “Where’s Trey?”

Ace glanced up from his toast, shrugging his shoulders a little. “Haven’t seen him all morning.”

Lips pressed into a fine line and he glanced in the direction he would need to take to get to his ex-boyfriend’s room.  _ You’re not going to make this easy, are you?  _ His heart settled into his stomach, wondering just how much pain he’d caused the other and if they’d recover from it. The prefect shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, which the inseparable first years seemed to take note of, judging by Ace’s elbowing Deuce. Riddle sighed, moving across the kitchen to grab an apple.

“Don’t be late.” He warned as he exited the kitchen once more.

There was a haunting feeling lingering inside of him as it settled within him that he may have ruined things with both of the people he cared about, platonically or otherwise. Everything seemed to be going alright the night before. Had something changed? Had Cater told Trey more of the story? Or was he simply blind to how much the other had been hurting. It wouldn’t be the first time. While he  _ was  _ adjusting to being a better person, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t slip up. He could feel the guilt bubbling inside of him, knowing how likely it was that he just  _ missed  _ some clues that would have been obvious to someone else. He wasn’t used to friends. He wasn’t used to thinking about how other people felt. And it felt that no matter what he did, it would always come back to bite him. 

As soon as he stepped through the Hall of Mirrors, blue eyes glanced around, hoping for a glance of either Trey  _ or  _ Floyd. In all honesty, he didn’t know what he’d say to either of them, but he knew that he had to do  _ something _ . He couldn’t have his best friend ignoring him. He couldn’t  _ not  _ find the answer that Floyd had provided him. 

But there was no sign of  _ either  _ of them. Not until lunch when he saw Cater and Trey laughing at a table. Deuce and Ace were not far off--probably going to meet up with them. Fingers curled tightly around his plate of food, doubt clinging to the back of his mind.  _ He doesn’t want to see you _ . He told himself, the thought alone being enough to knock the air out of him.  _ It’d be too awkward if you pulled him away from them _ . Riddle bit down on the inside of his cheek, but moved to cross the cafeteria.

Blue hues glanced over the crowd until it fell upon the familiar blue-grey of the Octavinelle vests. Jade. Azul. But no Floyd. Brows knit together in confusion. It was certainly a rare sight to see Floyd during his free time without at least one of those two.  _ Or you _ . Riddle glanced behind him, memories flooding back of the other standing quietly behind him in Mostro Lounge to tug him back, but there was nothing.

_ If they’re both  _ actually  _ avoiding me, I’m going to behead them faster than they can apologize. _ Certainly that wasn’t the best way to keep friends who were avoiding you, but it would certainly be cathartic--especially when it came to Floyd. He’d at least feel  _ some  _ guilt when it came to Trey. But, uncertain of where to go, the boy moved back to his classroom to eat his lunch alone.

As soon as Jade took his seat in front of him, there was no hesitation. Not like last time. The redhead stood from his seat elevated just above the twin’s, hands on the desk to help him lean forward just a  _ little  _ bit more.

“ _ Jade _ .” 

The other turned around, offering a smile towards him. “Ah, Riddle! Is there something I can help you with?”

“Where’s your brother?”

“Oya, oya~” He let out a small chuckle, placing a hand to his chest. “Do you have something to talk to Floyd about?”

Riddle’s eyes narrowed at the other, knowing just how much he had planned to either sabotage them or set them up by suggesting that he help Floyd learn to fly. Lips pressed into a fine line, though if Jade was uneasy about the Heartslabyul student’s growing impatience, he didn’t show it. “I don’t appreciate your games.”

“I’m certain I have no idea what you’re talking about, Riddle.” Riddle’s hands curled into fists on top of the desk, uncaring as to the people who began to stare, expecting a faceoff between the infamous mobster of Night Raven College and the hot-headed queen. “I assume he’s in his class by now, but you can never be too sure.” The eel turned back around in his seat, and despite the annoyance, he sat back down in his seat once more. However, Jade’s voice grew louder. “I expect he’ll be at the lounge later if you’d like to try that again.”

Heat immediately spread across his face, both in embarrassment and anger. While he was certain that Jade would have known about his attempted confession in the VIP room, he didn’t have to bring it up in class, no matter how vague. Riddle stood up quickly, ready to shout the familiar words of his unique magic. The chair squeaked against the tile, any eyes that hadn’t been watching now on him, and the Leech twin just giggled in his seat. 

Sometimes he wasn’t sure if he was playing into Jade’s hand or Floyd’s. 

* * *

Riddle stared at the mirror leading to the Octavinelle dorm, but he couldn’t bring himself to go inside. Arms crossed over his chest, watching as if the mirror would hold the answer that things would be different if he stepped through it this time. But there  _ wasn’t  _ any guarantee. There was no guarantee that Floyd had forgiven him. There was no guarantee that he wasn’t going to get rejected again. 

And could he handle that? Could he sit there and take it, knowing that he’d broken up with Trey for him? Would Trey even take him back after that? Riddle let out a sigh and shook his head.  _ Maybe it’s better to not say anything _ . At least then he wouldn’t have that guilt lingering over him if things went wrong. He’d just go back to how he had been--alone. 

“Goldfish?” A curious voice rang out from behind him. Immediately, Riddle tensed up and he turned on his heel, cheeks flushed a light shade of red from the shock of hearing Floyd’s voice.

“What are you doing here?” 

Mismatched eyes glanced from Riddle, to the mirror, then back to him. “What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

“Ah…” Blue eyes glanced behind him back towards the mirror. There wasn’t really any way where he could lie his way out of this. Jade already had the suspicion that he would come, he was certain that either way word would make it to Floyd that he had something to talk to him about. The smaller of the two shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet the other’s gaze once more. “I came to talk to you about something.”

“Mmm~” The teal haired boy hummed, a smile forming on his lips. “Follow me, I’m late already.” 

He seemed in better spirits than he had the day before, at least. The two of them stepped through the mirror, revealing the familiar sight of Mostro Lounge. However, Floyd kept walking and Riddle hurried to keep up with him. “Why are you late?”

“Basketball, of course.” The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose knowing that would have been a far more comfortable situation for him to be in. Even if it required them talking as they made it back to Octavinelle, it wouldn’t be the place he was rejected the first time. 

But it  _ wasn’t  _ going to be the first place he had gotten rejected. The twin opened the doors in the back of the lounge, revealing a hall that refracted light from the water that surrounded them. Riddle stopped in his tracks, blue eyes taking in the scene of the fishes surrounding them. It certainly wasn’t a secret that Octavinelle was underwater, but here, being surrounded by fish, was truly a sight to behold. Fish of all colors swam around the glass and the smallest hint of a smile formed on his lips.

Floyd stopped a couple feet in front of him, giving Riddle a curious glance before letting out an amused laugh. He closed the gap between them, fingers curling around Riddle’s as he tugged them further down the hallway. He wasn’t sure if it was the handholding, Floyd, or the way the light bounced off of him, but he could feel his cheeks begin to warm at the sensation.

“Were you avoiding me today?” The prefect finally managed to get out as they walked.

“A little~” He couldn’t believe how nonchalant the other could seem when saying potentially hurtful things. As soon as they reached their destination, the eel let go of his hand and opened the door, revealing a shared dorm. One half was neat, and the other, which Riddle wasn’t surprised to see him walk towards, had clothes strung everywhere. He stared at the mess of clothes strung around, wondering just  _ what  _ he saw in the other. This would  _ never _ pass in Heartslabyul. 

“Why?” Riddle finally managed to get out. 

“I thought you’d want time with your new boyfriend.” Floyd tossed his blazer onto his bed. 

“What boyfriend?”

Floyd paused, though he didn’t glance back towards him at all. He just stared at the ground for a long moment, not bothering to further unbutton his shirt. Then, he restarted again. “Problems in paradise already, Goldfishie?” 

Riddle watched as the other slipped off his shirt, cheeks warming once again, forcing him to turn his back towards the other. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t already seen Floyd’s bare chest, but he didn’t want to see it  _ now _ . Not when he was trying to have a serious conversation with the other. A hand moved to his face, rubbing at his forehead as he contemplated continuing this.  _ No. It’s too late to turn back now _ . He could hear the other flipping through his closet, the sound of hangers sliding and clacking together.

“Hey, Floyd.” His heart was beating heavily inside of his chest, but Riddle turned back to glance at the other. He watched the taller of the two glance back to him as well, giving him a curious glance. “Do you like me?”

Another long pause. He could see the eel’s cheeks pinken slightly--a sight that was rarely seen. He moved the purple shirt in his hands from one hand to the other, though his eyes never left the prefect. Riddle could feel himself getting more nervous and he finally broke eye contact with the other, contemplating making a quick exit. 

Floyd placed the shirt on the bed and crossed the room quickly. The smaller of the two was taken back by the feeling of hands on either side of his face, lifting it up so the other could place a firm kiss on his lips. And this time, Riddle didn’t hesitate to kiss him back. The Octavinelle student beamed him a smile as he pulled away, revealing those shark toothed teeth.  _ That’s not an answer _ . He wanted to say, but he was still reveling in the gesture. 

Suddenly, arms wrapped around his legs and he was pulled up into the air, forcing him to awkwardly sit on the forearms supporting him. His cheeks turned a bright shade of red as he glanced down towards the floor. “Let me  _ down!”  _ But the other ignored his please continued to laugh. Finally, blue eyes moved back towards the other, his heart jumping to his throat. While the laughing had finally stopped, there was still an amused smile on his lips. Gloved fingers moved to move some teal locks from his face and his smile dropped a little, though it was not the look he’d been given in the VIP room. Riddle leaned in himself, giving the other a soft peck on the lips.

After all, if he couldn’t figure out how to answer Floyd’s question, how could he expect Floyd to answer his?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long to update! I was in school and then also just kind of feeling a bit meh about where this was going. I've talked about it a little on Twitter and I just chickened out from some stuff I had originally wanted to add that I kind of hint at in the beginning. I also would have raised the stakes of Riddle being sick after his Overblot if I had gone into this knowing I'd extend it. I don't know--a part of me wants to rewrite it at some point how I wanted but I probably won't. That said, I'll still continue this version it just will probably be a lot slower to update than my other fics. Azul Overblot soon though!
> 
> Anyways here's the awful chapter that took me nearly three months to write since I did actually start it back in September lmao.

Trey still wasn’t speaking to him very often and it certainly wasn’t the same as it had been before. On the rare occasions they spoke, it was short—like he couldn’t wait to get out of the same room as him. His best friend’s ability to avoid him had only been heightened by the fact that he’d been picked as one of the three Star Gazers and spent all of his time practicing the dance with Deuce. 

Riddle pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think of ways to get the other to sit down and talk with him. He could hear Trein telling the class they could leave, the students shuffling to pack up their things, but he couldn’t bring himself to move just yet. It was only a matter of time before the Star Sending participants came for his wish, and as much as he wanted to  _ see  _ Trey, he didn’t want him to be forced into it.

The weight of someone’s arms pulled him out of his trance and a chin rested on his head. “Goldfiiiish, come on~” 

And of course there was Floyd. In the days that had passed since he’d pseudo-confessed to him, things hadn’t been made any clearer about their relationship. There hadn’t been any clarification, though he also hadn’t pressed it further—he was too afraid that the other would pull away from him again. “Floyd, what are you going to wish for?”

“Hmm~?” He paused for a moment to think it over. “I dunno, haven’t really thought about it. Shoes, maybe?” The redhead couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. The fear that the other would say something relating to the two of them had been eating away at him and any unnecessary stress to Trey should have been avoided. “Why?”

“I was worried you’d mention me in your wish.”

It was the eel’s turn to laugh. “Do you want me to, Goldfishie?” Floyd moved to nip gently at his earlobe, causing Riddle to tense up slightly. Blue eyes glanced around the classroom, only relaxing when he noticed that even Trein had left. 

“I think it’s best we don’t.” 

“Hmm? Why not?”

Riddle began to gather his things, prompting the other to stand up. “I think Trey is still upset that I broke up with him. I think it’s best we try not to make it any harder for him.”

The Octavinelle student’s brows furrowed slightly, a pout forming on his lips. “Hey, Goldfishie~” While his tone remained playful and his normal lazy smile returned to his lips, it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Are you trying to keep me a secret?”

That thought hadn’t really occurred to him. Perhaps in a way he was. However, Riddle raised a brow and he glanced towards the other as he stood from his chair. “Is there anything to keep a secret?”

The taller boy stared at him, but his lips curled into more of a sinister smile, though he refused to answer the question that he was really asking:  _ what are we? _ Despite the fact that the twin’s antics had lulled slightly, Riddle couldn’t help but notice he was still being dangled on a string by him. A part of him even wondered if he had simply relented so that he got to keep his plaything—it certainly wouldn’t surprise him.

“Hey, Goldfish~ Speaking of the Star Sending, do you wanna spend it together?”

Blue eyes glanced up towards the other, his expression contorting into one of genuine surprise. He didn’t particularly  _ like  _ the Star Sending performances, but it had always been his duty to show up and support whoever was participating. After all, it certainly would look bad on him as someone attempting to follow the Queen’s rules.

But he’d also never been  _ asked  _ to go with someone. Riddle blinked a couple times, trying to force back the smile threatening to form on his lips. It certainly wasn’t a secret that people asked those that they liked on dates there—the lights, the music, and the performance all leant itself to an admittedly romantic atmosphere.

Still—he had to make it clear. “As a date or as friends?” Floyd shrugged.  _ Helpful _ . “Do you get off on being purposefully frustrating?”

The twin laughed. “You already know what gets me off, Goldfishie~” Heat spread across his cheeks and his eyes narrowed into a death glare, causing Floyd to laugh even more. 

* * *

He’d been a little surprised that Trey and Deuce had already collected wishes before him. While he was busy, he was never very hard to track down. With two of the three Star Gazers being in Heartslabyul, it would have been far more efficient to get everyone’s wishes there first. 

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife and he was certain even the first year noticed it. He tried to keep his focus mostly on Deuce in order to make it less awkward, though it only seemed to worsen it. 

“I’m glad to see you’re taking this seriously, Deuce.” He was sure that if Ace had been chosen instead that the event would have been disastrous. It was bad enough that Idia was chosen along with the two of them. “The outfit suits you as well.”

Trey put a hand on the first year’s shoulder, letting out a small chuckle. “Don’t forget the responsibility is on us to make Riddle’s dream come true, too.” 

Deuce nodded, gently punching his fist in front of him. “Right, I’ll do my best.”

Riddle chuckled. “Glad to hear it.” As the two of them began to leave, the dorm leader let out a sigh. “Trey, do you have a moment?”

The third-year glanced down at Deuce for a moment, lips pressed tightly together before finally nodding. “Of course.”

The redhead leaned on his bed, arms crossed in front of him as the other crossed the room once more. Blue eyes examined the way the Star Gazer outfit highlighted the curve of his muscles and memories of leaning against him flooded back into his mind. Trey had always made him feel safe and the sudden realization that Floyd  _ didn’t  _ left him wondering if he’d truly made a mistake. 

Trey raised a brow. “Everything alright?”

Riddle shook his head a little, finally letting out the breath he’d been holding. “Are you going to keep ignoring me?”

The other boy tensed for a moment, though after a moment he let out a sigh and shook his head. “I’m still upset, alright?”

“I know.” The dorm leader shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. “I didn’t—I  _ promise  _ I didn’t mean to do anything to hurt you.”

The green haired boy nodded once more. “I know. But you did.”

Of course he did. “For what it’s worth, I’ve probably made a horrible mistake.”

Trey chuckled, though it was far kinder than he deserved. “You do that quite a bit.”

Riddle nodded. “I’m sorry.”

Trey nodded as well. “It’ll be alright. For both of us, I’m sure.”

“I hope so.”

The older of the two closed the gap between them. The sudden warmth of his best friend’s body brought a comfort he sorely needed, but the softness of Trey’s lips on his cheek left him feeling far worse than he already had. Blue eyes watched the other intently as he pulled away with an apologetic smile. Silence hung between them, though the tension that lingered there was different than it had been before. Trey’s hand reached out to give his a reassuring squeeze and his touch left a burning sensation in its wake.

But the moment didn’t last long. The silence ended with Trey offering one last sad smile before turning around. Riddle’s eyes watched the contours of his back, biting down on the inside of his cheek until the door behind Trey closed.

Riddle let out an aggravated groan before turning around to flop on his bed. He buried his face into one of the pillows, frustrated by the situation he’d gotten himself into. If it wasn’t Floyd rejecting him, it was Floyd taunting him. If it wasn’t Floyd taunting him, it was the fact that Riddle knew he liked Floyd and didn’t want to hurt Trey. And now here he was in an unspecified sort of relationship with Floyd, wondering if he’d made a mistake breaking it off with Trey.

He just couldn’t win.

* * *

The days leading up to the performance passed by quickly. He’d begun preparing for midterms and it brought a much needed break from both Trey and Floyd. While sometimes the eel would find him in the library, he usually grew bored pretty quickly when the dorm leader was unresponsive towards his teasing about their one night stand. Even when he’d stay longer than Riddle expected, he’d just sit there in silence watching him.

But the late night studying had to come to a pause. Night Raven College was buzzing about the performance and even he had to admit he was excited to see Deuce and Trey perform. But he had to admit he was nervous as well. Riddle had agonized over if this was actually a date or not and with little response from Floyd on the subject, he tried to convince himself it wasn’t. While it was likely that Floyd would be flirty, he’d learned that that didn’t  _ mean  _ anything. It was likely that he was the only one in this situation that had any actual real feelings.

Floyd was already at the entrance of the path to the decorated tree when he had arrived. His brows furrowed slightly as he watched the redhead, hands digging into his pockets as an amused smile formed on his lips. “Why are you wearing your uniform?”

Riddle blinked a couple times, his own brows furrowing as he glanced down at the black uniform. “It’s a school event. Why aren’t you?” Though, he had to admit—it was odd seeing Floyd in casual clothing. While he normally looked unkempt in either of his uniforms, he almost looked  _ fashionable  _ now despite still having his shirt unbuttoned at the collar. 

“This isn’t a  _ real  _ school event, Goldfish~” He smiled. “Let’s go find a good spot, okay?” His fingers curled around Riddle’s wrists in an instant and he started rushing down the path, practically dragging the dorm leader along with him.

It was hard to get a bad seat on the lawn as the tree was at the bottom of a hill, but they had still managed to find a spot relatively close to the performance area. Floyd plopped on the ground almost immediately and Riddle chuckled and shook his head before extending a hand towards the other. “Get up, I brought us a blanket to sit on.” The twin blinked a couple times, mismatched eyes staring at his hand for a long while before he took it. Even after he stood up, the other held onto his hand, causing the Heartslabyul student to glance down at their hands. “I can’t spread it out if you don’t let go.”

Floyd blinked a couple times before giving his hand a light squeeze and letting go. Riddle tried to shake off the nervousness building inside of him as he set down the tote he’d brought before pulling out a fleece blanket. The eel sat down first again with Riddle sitting beside him, prompting a whine from the other. “ _ What _ ?”

Floyd spread out his legs and pat between them. “Sit here, Goldfishie~!”

He blinked a couple times, brows furrowing slightly before he glanced around at the gathering crowd. “Aren’t you worried someone will get the wrong idea?”

“What wrong idea?”

Riddle’s eyes narrowed. “You’re well aware of what wrong idea.”

The taller boy shook his head. “I’m not afraid of that.” 

_ Of course you aren’t _ . He bit down on the inside of his cheek, wondering what comments he would get if anyone he knew noticed. But as much as his mind was screaming at him not to fall for this trap, he  _ did  _ want to. He wanted to lean against Floyd. He wanted to  _ trust  _ him. He wanted to pretend that maybe they weren’t  _ actually  _ doomed to fail as a couple.

As soon as Riddle moved between the other’s legs, Floyd’s arms wrapped around his waist to pull him closer, chin resting on his shoulder to watch as Trey, Deuce, and even Idia gathered in front of the lit up tree. 

Riddle could see why people went to these performances with a date. The low lighting, the feeling of Floyd’s arms wrapped around his, and just the gentle feeling of his chest rising and falling as he breathed was certainly enough to bring a light warmth to his cheeks. However, it would have been far more romantic if his ex-boyfriend wasn’t the one they were watching.

The drums began to beat and the lighting that aided students down the path to the tree dimmed. Riddle couldn’t help but smile a little with pride as the rhythm began and Trey and Deuce began their dance. However, despite the fact that he tried to watch the both of them, his gaze continually found itself lingering on Trey. While Deuce looked cute in his robes, Trey was far more mesmerizing than he had even anticipated after their short talk. There was a soft glisten of sweat on his body, illuminated by the lights on the trees signifying the school’s wishes. He had a stern look on his face—concentrating, but still having fun. 

The sharp pain of the other boy’s teeth was only dulled slightly by his blazer. Riddle straightened up, trying his best not to let out a loud yelp. “Floyd,  _ stop. _ ” He whispered harshly. But of course, Riddle had very little respite from the eel’s attention. This time, he nibbled on the redhead’s earlobe and, while the sensation was not unwelcome, it seemed hardly appropriate. “ _ Stop _ .” Once again, the twin relented. Riddle settled in once more, leaning against the other’s chest as he began to watch Trey once more. He could make out his green hair dampening from the sweat and he couldn’t help but remember the few times he’d been able to see such sights before in passing in the locker room.

Another hard bite to his shoulder, but this time Riddle could hardly contain the yelp that escaped his lips. A hand moved to cover his lips and he shrunk down, hoping no one noticed. Floyd chuckled. “It’s okay, Goldfishie~”

The dorm leader sat up straight and turned quickly to glare at Floyd. “No it’s not, I told you to  _ stop _ .” Riddle’s lips pressed tightly together as he got to his feet, quickly making his way through the maze of people still watching the performance. He hadn’t even noticed Floyd had been following him until he was halfway to the Hall of Mirrors when he grabbed his hand. The redhead spun around to glare at him once more. “What is your  _ problem _ ?!”

Floyd’s brows furrowed tightly together. “ _ My  _ problem?”

“Yes,  _ your  _ problem. I told you to stop, we were in public, and it was hardly an appropriate time to make a move.”

“ _ You  _ were the one checking out your ex-boyfriend.” Riddle’s heart leapt to his throat and he found himself faltering for just a moment. The taller boy backed him against the wall, pinning him there with hands on either side of him. “Why am I still competing with him?!”

“You’re not competing with Trey! You’re not competing with  _ anyone _ since there’s nothing to compete for!” Riddle could feel tears of frustration pooling in the corners of his eyes, though he tried to blink him back. Floyd raised a brow, though he didn’t move from his position. “I broke up with Trey  _ for you _ . You can’t really expect me to get over him immediately.” He scoffed, shaking his head a little. “And you can hardly even be bothered to even pretend to like me aside from just getting enjoyment from watching me  _ squirm _ .”

“That’s not true!” He puffed his cheeks. “I asked you on this date!”

“You wouldn’t even  _ tell  _ me it was a date, Floyd! I can’t read your mind!” Floyd let his hands fall back to his sides before sticking them in his pocket, a bored expression replacing the annoyed one that had been there. However, Riddle stayed where he was against the wall, his heavy breathing to keep himself from crying the only sound between them for a long while. When he’d finally calmed down a little, his voice was quiet and he found he couldn’t look the other in the eye. “You have to actually act like you like me, Floyd.” 

The taller of the two’s expression contorted into one of annoyance, then pain, to nothing. He let out a dry laugh and one hand moved to rest on the opposite shoulder as he glanced down the hallway in the direction of the Hall of Mirrors. “I’m gonna go, Goldfishie.” Blue eyes shot back towards the other, the tears beginning to form once more at the sound of his flat voice. “I’ll play some other time.”

“ _ Floyd _ !” He didn’t reply, he simply raised a hand to wave at Riddle without glancing back.

Riddle couldn’t stop the tears this time, though he wouldn’t give the other the satisfaction of hearing him cry. He glanced back in the direction he had come, wondering if it would be worth it to go back to grab his blanket. But he was too afraid that someone would notice him crying. That they’d ask him what was wrong. That he might take away from someone else’s enjoyment of the performance. 

Instead, he pulled out his phone and began to text Trey.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did add a scene from the anthology in this one and sped through it pretty fast. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend reading [Floyd giving Riddle compliments in the library!](https://mangadex.org/title/58221/disney-twisted-wonderland-comic-anthology)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So!! I wanted to give you guys a New Years chapter of this because I was checking to see how my fics were doing yesterday and I noticed this was officially the furorido fic with the highest amount of kudos on AO3 (as of 12/31/20 at least, people reading this later may be like wtf no it's not)!! Isn't that cool?! And fifteenth overall! So I just wanted to thank you guys for being super awesome. I'm really happy you guys are enjoying this and I hope I get to write a lot more for you in 2021!

By the time Trey had returned to the dorm with the blanket and bag he had left, it was obvious Riddle had been crying. He hadn’t asked why and Riddle hadn’t offered the information to him. He was certain it was obvious, though. There weren’t many people who were able to shake him very easily, but Floyd Leech certainly had a knack for it. Trey had simply pulled Riddle into a tight hug before leaving to fetch him some tea.

Riddle’s whole body felt heavy. There were so many things rushing through his mind—why Floyd had just  _ left  _ him, why he’d gotten so mad at him, the fact that no matter how hard he tried, there was no way that he could actually get a read on the eel. Every time something seemed like it was going alright, the rug was pulled out from under him. He was beginning to realize that this wasn’t as simple as a game of croquet—there was no  _ winning _ . There weren’t even rules to help him navigate a situation he’d never really been in. For a moment he wondered how someone so calculating as Azul could stand to be around Floyd.

The door cracked open a tiny bit and the redhead sat up from his bed, offering the best smile he could as Trey poked his head in to make sure Riddle hadn’t fallen asleep. “It’s herbal, I didn’t want you staying up too late.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem.” He muttered, already feeling drowsy from the amount of crying he’d done. The older boy moved to set the cup down on the bedside table. “Thank you, Trey.” 

“Anytime.”

As the vice dorm leader began to leave once more, Riddle felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. “Trey—” The other turned around to give him an inquisitive glance and despite the nagging feeling inside of him, he couldn’t help himself. “Can you stay with me?”

“Uh…” Trey shifted his weight from one foot to the other, certainly caught off guard by the question as he glanced from the redhead to the door and back again. Finally, he let out a sigh and nodded in defeat. “Sure. I’ll be right back, alright?” Riddle nodded and his ex-boyfriend disappeared once again.

He knew it was inappropriate to do this  _ right after  _ they’d had a fight involving Trey. But there was so much up in the air and he was so  _ angry  _ at Floyd for shutting down and walking away. It would have been so much simpler if he didn’t have these annoying mood swings nearly every time he was criticized. 

Trey’s return pulled him out of his thought process. The older boy crawled into the bed, now free from the robes he’d worn for the event and dressed in his pajamas. The dorm leader took a sip of his tea before leaning his head on the other’s shoulders, curling in as the other wrapped his arm around Riddle. He took a deep breath, taking in the smell of rose-scented soap from the shower he’d taken in his absence. “But if Floyd comes to apologize in the morning, we’re both dead.”

He scoffed. “He won’t come. And he wouldn’t kill us.” A moment of hesitation. “ _ Probably _ .”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Riddle let out a long sigh knowing he probably  _ should  _ talk about it. If he’d learned anything since his Overblot, it was that isolating yourself from other people, even if it’s because of problems you're having, will only make you feel worse. “He was just getting jealous.”

“Over what?”

“You. He thought I was checking you out during the performance.”

A long pause lingered between the two of them. “...were you?”

The younger boy bit down on the inside of his cheek, remembering the way the sweat highlighted the curves of his shoulder muscles. “A little.”

Trey chuckled. “Good to know.”

“But it wasn’t  _ about  _ that.” Riddle shifted slightly to face the other better. “It’s just...he gets jealous and I don’t even know  _ what’s  _ happening with him. He doesn’t even act like he likes me most of the time.”

The green haired boy’s brows furrowed slightly, trying to piece the situation together. “But you  _ were  _ checking me out?”

“Yes, but—”

“ _ But  _ that seems like a fine reason to get jealous, right?” Riddle went quiet for a long moment. He’d gotten so defensive about it that he hadn’t even realized  _ he’d  _ been the one to turn the fight around on Floyd. He nodded, averting his gaze from the other. “And it’s been obvious he’s had a crush on you since last year.”

Brows knit tightly together as he glanced back up towards Trey, giving him an incredulous expression. “That’s not true.”

“That is  _ absolutely  _ true.”

Riddle leaned back against the headboard, trying to piece together how it would have been obvious. Certainly, there was Leona’s Overblot, but that was the only time he’d really been nice to him in front of other people. The redhead shook his head. “That’s not true, that’s jus—” He cut himself off, remembering the difference between the Floyd that had been in his class their first year and the clingy one that followed him around now. He remembered Floyd turning to look at him the night they slept together, hands in his pockets.  _ Hey, do you like me?  _

At that time he hadn’t, but now he wondered how things might have been different if he said he had. He’d thought that it was just an innocent enough question—the implication there being  _ hey, did you bring me back here because you like me or because you want to bang?  _ Instead, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been asking because  _ Floyd  _ had actually liked  _ him _ . 

“He doesn’t—He doesn’t  _ tell  _ me these things.” Riddle let out a sigh, shaking his head.

Trey shrugged. “And that  _ is  _ a problem. But you also probably shouldn’t be inviting your ex-boyfriends into your bed, either.”

The dorm leader elbowed the other with a frown. “You’re my best friend also, or have you forgotten?”

Trey couldn’t help but laugh. “Still?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course you are.” The vice dorm leader pulled him back in, giving him a firm squeeze as Riddle curled into him once more. For the first time since their breakup, it didn’t feel awkward. He wasn’t sure if Trey felt the same way, but there was progress being made. That fear that giving Floyd a chance was the wrong option still lingered in his mind. But for now it was quiet. “Sorry I made you talk about this with me.”

Trey leaned his head on top of Riddle’s, rubbing the other’s arm gently. “It’s alright.” 

The two of them sat in silence for a long while. Riddle took comfort in the feeling of Trey’s chest rising and falling and how sometimes he’d move to run his fingers through his hair. He’d wondered what would have been different if he’d felt comfortable enough to  _ actually  _ confide in Trey, or even others, before the Overblot. Would it have even happened? Or had his mother caused so much damage that even an entire year at Night Raven College couldn’t have saved him from that fate.

“Trey?” Riddle’s voice was quiet in case the other had fallen asleep, but he responded with a quiet grunt of acknowledgment. “I think I should sleep by myself.”

The older boy waited a moment to move, but he finally released Riddle and leaned forward. His glasses were lopsided from him nearly falling asleep, prompting the redhead to straighten them out. “I think that’s a good idea.” He finally said, now awake enough to actually talk. 

“Thank you again.” Trey nodded and got up from the bed, shuffling his way through the halls and back to his own room. 

* * *

Riddle felt confident about finals, but he still found himself in the library. His self-reflection the night before about opening up to people having possibly been able to save him from the Overblot had left him wanting to research all that he could on the subject. It was obvious that he couldn’t rely  _ solely  _ on Trey, but he also couldn’t be a burden to the dorm and potentially Overblot once more. 

He’d thought about trying to find Floyd, but even though he’d realized that he’d been in the wrong as well, being left there to cry still stung. He didn’t have to wait long, however.

“Goldfishy~” Floyd’s voice called out as if nothing had even happened the previous night. He moved to sit in the chair across from him at the table and it was a small relief that the other wasn’t trying to invade his personal space as usual. Still, Riddle pulled his books a little closer to him, keenly aware of Floyd’s normal habit of stealing his books and the one time that it had gone  _ horribly  _ wrong. However, he was too slow and Floyd snagged one, looking it over. “Eh? This is super advanced, Goldfishy~”

“Of course it is.” Riddle snatched it back from him. “It’s my responsibility as a dorm leader to set an example.”

Mismatched eyes stared intently at him. It was obvious that there was an ulterior motive—most of these books were about keeping Overblot at bay. In some ways that  _ did  _ mean getting stronger so you could push your limits for a longer amount of time. In others, it meant dealing with things in the real world. Though, if Floyd had caught on, he didn’t say anything about it. He just kicked his feet under the table, smiling towards the other. Finally, Riddle let out a sigh. “I don’t want to be a burden to my dorm anymore.”

“So it’s a dorm leader thing?” Floyd pretended to think for a moment. “That’s too much of a pain in the ass for me~” The twin’s voice carried through the library and Riddle could feel the annoyance building up inside of him. The fact that Floyd wasn’t even addressing what had happened the day before and was being too loud caused Riddle’s fingers to dig into the wooden table. 

“If you keep being a nuisance, I’ll take off your head.” Riddle threatened, causing the twin’s brows to knit together before he slumped down onto the table.

“Maaaaan, you’re angry already.” The Heartslabyul student stared down at the other, wondering if he was going to leave him in peace. Or, at the very least, talk  _ quietly  _ about what had happened. Instead, Floyd tilted his head slightly, offering a small smile towards the other. “Of course Goldfishy’s a hard worker~ So admirable, that’s what I’m thinkin’ now. Suuuper amazing and other things like that.”

Riddle blinked a couple times in response, brows furrowing slightly at the sudden compliments the other was giving him. They were different than any of the other ones Floyd usually gave him—usually centered around how  _ cute  _ he was. His least favorite kind of compliment. He was more than just what he looked like. He  _ was  _ hard working. He was diligent. Determined. But before he had a chance to open his mouth, one of the books was snagged from his pile and Floyd took off running. “Let’s play tag~”

The dorm leader’s face grew warm with annoyance as he took off running after the eel. He was certain one of these days he was going to get kicked out of the library because of Floyd’s harassment and he  _ truly  _ hoped today wasn’t going to be that day. But eventually, he turned a corner to find Floyd sitting in a chair near a table, turned so that he’d be facing the direction Riddle was running in. A sly smile formed on his lips and it didn’t take Riddle long to figure out why.

This was where he had first kissed Floyd.

A weird sense of nervousness accompanied that realization. But still, he straightened himself up and closed the distance between the two of them, extending a hand towards the other, hoping but not expecting him to hand over the book without a fight. “Hey, Golfishy~ You know this is the place where you fir—”

“I’m aware.” His amused expression faltered for just a moment. Floyd glanced him up and down for a moment, but the redhead wasn’t about to let the other win just by making him uneasy. “Hand over the book, Floyd.”

“I’ll give you the book, don’t worry~” He chuckled. “But you gotta kiss me for it~”

Riddle’s shoulders slumped slightly and his hands rested on his hips. “I don’t want to play games anymore.” His voice was quieter than he had expected. Floyd reached out and hooked a finger in one of the smaller boy’s belt loops, urging him closer until he could wrap his arms around Riddle’s waist. The redhead rested a hand on top of the other’s blue locks, running his fingers gently through his hair. “I’m serious, Floyd.”

“I know.” His face nuzzled gently into Riddle’s stomach. “I don’t want you to look at other boys.”

“I’m not go—”

“You said you liked me and dated him  _ right  _ after.”

Riddle let out a dry laugh, though it wasn’t malicious. “ _ You  _ rejected  _ me _ , Floyd.”

The twin tilted his head up, still resting his chin on the other’s stomach. Riddle moved to push some of his hair from his face, taking in his sad expression. “You didn’t have to do it so fast, though.” It was almost unsettling to see Floyd like this. His stomach was tying into knots with each word the other said, hanging off of those words like they were the last honest thing he would ever tell him. Which, for all he knew could be true. The twin was completely unpredictable and while a part of him liked that, a part of him was realizing that he really  _ didn’t _ . 

The redhead broke from the other’s grasp, using a knuckle to prop the other’s chin up as he placed a gentle kiss on his lips. It wasn’t an apology from either of them, but it was  _ something _ he could hold on to. As soon as Floyd tried to grab onto Riddle once more to pull him closer, the smaller boy grabbed the book from the other’s lap, taking a quick couple steps backwards with a smug grin.

“It’s time for  _ me  _ to study.” The younger of the two crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, though the smile on his lips was playful once more. “You can join if you agree to behave.” Floyd pretended to think for a moment before getting up from his chair, quickly closing the gap between the two of them to return to the table they had previously abandoned.


End file.
